


The Christmas Wish

by amandaterasu



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Be Careful What You Wish For, Courtship, F/M, Real Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2020-11-22 10:22:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20872616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amandaterasu/pseuds/amandaterasu
Summary: This is a gift fic for my darling @astralplanesies on Twitter! It uses InteractiveFics! You'll want to set [FN] to your (or your OC's) first name!The main character is cis-female w/ she/her pronouns for this fic.Note: This fic will update when I feel like it around my other fics. I just got the spicy idea and decided to get it out of my head so I can focus on my other fics in peace.





	1. When You Wish Upon a Dakimakura

This was, officially, the worst Christmas ever. 

[FN] had _planned_ to spend the holidays while on break from her classes at her boyfriend’s house - only to find him in her roommate’s bed in her dorm when she decided to study in her room instead of the library for a change. So, those plans had fallen through.

But [FN]’s parents, thinking she wasn’t going to be home for the break, had decided to take a vacation - booked flights and everything. They offered to cancel, but she demurred. She was an adult, independent woman, surely _one_ Christmas alone wouldn’t kill her. 

Still, it had been depressing trying to fake happiness when she opened the presents from her parents over FaceTime while they watched from a restaurant in Paris. And when the delivery driver asked, “Where’s everybody else?” None of [FN]’s friends were online either - off celebrating with people who cared about them. She had a hard time not feeling sorry for herself, but she still had two weeks of solitude before she needed to be back at college for the next semester.

[FN] sat on her bed, clutching her new dakimakura - one of her Christmas presents - with an image of the villain from her favorite video game on it. His gold eyes seemed to peer out at her mischeviously, and she decided to indulge in a little childishness. [FN] pulled the pillow close and wept bitterly into the fabric, painted with the image of the Ascian, Emet-Selch.

“I just wish I didn’t have to be _alone_ anymore.” Then [FN] fell asleep, her tears spreading across his lovingly-rendered chest.

* * *

_BEEDEEDEEDEE! BEEDEEDEEDEE! BEEDEEDEEDEE!_

[FN] groaned as her alarm woke her from a sound sleep, realizing she’d forgotten to turn it off. She kept her eyes closed, hoping maybe in a moment the harsh ringing would stop, and let her go back to sleep.

_BEEDEEDEEDEE! BEEDEEDEEDEE! BEEDEEDEEDEE!_

“Zodiark, woman,” a strangely-familiar male voice said, “Will you silence that bloody alarum already? I was attempting to _rest._”

_BEEDEEDEEDEE! BEEDEEDEEDEE! BEEDEEDEEDEE!_

[FN] opened her eyes slowly. Her arms were wrapped around Emet-Selch, the Ascian, the Architect, Hades, Solus zos Galvus… but not the Dakimakura. It was him, in the flesh.

“Oh,” she said quietly. “I must be having a dream.”

_BEEDEEDEEDEE! BEEDEEDEEDEE! BEEDEEDEEDEE!_

Solus groaned and rolled on top of her, grabbing the phone and shaking it a few times. “Blast it, [FN], how do you silence this damnable thing?”

“H-here,” she said quietly, and took the phone from him, tapping the screen until the alarm silenced. 

He scoffed. “You could have just told me.”

“This is a dream.” [FN] repeated. “I must be dreaming.”

Solus rolled his eyes. “You’re not dreaming, girl. You wished for someone to be with you, so here I am.”

“B-but… that’s not how this works!” [FN] said, pushing him off her and sitting up. “That’s not how any of this works! You’re a fictional character!”

“A fictional character with the ability to traverse the Rift,” he corrected. “Do they not teach the sciences at this university of yours?”

“Of co- what does that have to do with any of this?”

The Ascian sighed. “Are you familiar with the basics of multiverse theory? Infinite worlds, infinite possibilities?”

“S-sort of?” she said. Physics had always been her worst subject.

“If there are an infinite number of worlds, then it stands to reason there are an infinite number of worlds where I exist, ergo, I, an Ascian with the ability to traverse the Rift between worlds, exist. I heard your wish, and frankly, I’ve been bored. So, I decided to grant it.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense!” [FN] said.

“It’s really not that complicated, [FN].” He shook his head in exasperation. “But is this really how you want to spend our time together? Arguing about science you barely understand, when the objective reality is that I am here, and I intend to spend time with _you_?”

“How long are you planning to stay?” She asked. “I have to go back to the dorms in two weeks.”

“We’ll play it by ear. For now, I’m hungry. Get me something to eat.” Solus crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, still in [FN]’s bed.

“Well, what do you want? I think there’s some cereal in the cabinet, but I’ve mostly been using Grubhub, since Mom feels so guilty about leaving me here…” [FN] trailed off and opened her phone. “Looks like Denny’s is delivering, if you want something real.”

“Just… I’ll have whatever you have, hmm? Think of something to do today. I want you to show me your world, since I may be here for a time. I’m going to rest. Wake me when it’s time to eat.” Just like that, the impossible Ascian in her bed shoo’d her out of the room, and buried his face in her pillows.

* * *

“I thought the mall would be a good first stop, since I don’t really have a lot of men’s clothing, and you can’t go around wearing that.” [FN] gestured to Solus’s Garlean regalia. “It’s going to be really busy, though, since it’s the day after Christmas. Also I don’t have a _ton_ of money, so we’ll have to keep it to something cheap. Jeans and a t-shirt, or something.”

“Money is your concern?” He laughed. “Let me worry about my own funds. I’m sure I can just change my clothing to be more appropriate to the culture anyway.”

“Maybe, but you asked to see my world, and the ability to make a transaction is one of the fundamental steps.” She sighed. “Plus, if you’re going to be here a while, you’ll have to be able to do this on your own.”

“Fair point, [FN],” he conceded. “But I will still worry over my own funds. I just need… information. I have done some preliminary observations, of course. But I have not done an in-depth examination of your culture.”

“So you’re familiar with capitalism? Dollars and Cents and the Free Market?” [FN] looked dubious as they entered the open-air mall. Shoppers choked the halls, returning unwanted gifts and shopping for late gifts for forgotten relatives.

“I am. It is a poor system, but easily understood.”

Still not comfortable believing the Ascian understood economics, [FN] pulled out her cell phone, checking the balance on her checking account, and winced at the low number. 

“I’ll need one of those,” Solus said, pointing at her phone.

“I can’t afford to get you a cell phone!” she countered, aghast. “A good smart phone is like, seven hundred dollars!”

“What did I _just_ say?” he replied with a sigh. “I can handle my own financial needs.”

“How?” [FN] asked, scowling. “Just going to snap your fingers and be a millionaire?” 

Solus’s wicked grin took over his face, and he raised one hand in the air. “Now you’re catching on, my dear.” 

Then he snapped.

* * *

“You realize you just spent more money in the last three hours than I have in the last three months, right?” [FN] asked, glowering at Solus. He had traded his strange robes for a suit, sans tie, and politely carried his purchases - new clothes, new shoes, a laptop, a cell phone, various toiletries, and much more - toward her car. Standing next to him, in all his fancy new things, made [FN] - in worn jeans and a faded hoodie - feel smaller and smaller.

“Open the trunk, will you?” he said, and she climbed into the driver’s seat, glowering at her rearview mirror while she pulled the small lever. She saw him moving, and took another moment to feel sorry for herself. She had wished for company, not to be a fictional villain’s chauffeur while he lived a life she could only dream of.

The trunk slammed as he closed it, and then Solus climbed into her passenger seat. “What time is it?”

“Check your watch.” She grumbled, but tapped the stereo in her car. The clock read 1:45.

“You haven’t had lunch, yet.” He seemed concerned.

“I usually skip it,” [FN] shrugged. “Saves money.”

“Money isn’t a problem, remember?” 

“I’d prefer to forget.” She wouldn’t look at him right now, she was feeling maudlin.

“Well, I would like to take you to lunch.” Solus leaned his arm on the interior of her car door, his chin balancing on his hand. “Somewhere nice.”

“I’m not dressed for nice.” She countered.

“We’re still parked. We can go in and -”

“No,” [FN] replied, cattily, then winced. She closed her eyes and laid her forehead against the steering wheel. “I’m sorry. Yesterday was hard. These past couple weeks have been hard. Finals, finding out my boyfriend was cheating on me, breaking up with him, Christmas alone, waking up to find…” She gestured to him. “I don’t really have the ability to be a polite hostess right now. Nor do I feel like dressing up and worrying about table manners. I just don’t have the energy for it, Solus.”

He sat for a while in silence, regarding her. “Call me Hades.”

“What?” She looked over at him. “But I thought that was something… _personal_.”

“It is, which is why it is appropriate.” He swallowed and pressed his lips together. “I have not been at my most charming, I fear. I have watched you for some time, but I…” Hades paused, breathing deeply, then continued. “I was waiting for an opportunity. You provided one last night, and I took it. Perhaps too eagerly. Maybe I should have eased you into all this.”

[FN] laughed. “I don’t know if there’s a way to ease into ‘By the way through physics mumbo-jumbo your husbando is really real and decided to hang out with you for an indeterminate amount of time.”

“‘Hang out’. That is slang, yes?” He was typing on his cell phone again. After a moment, his gold eyes widened. “I see. I haven’t been clear enough.”

“Clear enough?” [FN] leaned her head back against the headrest of the driver’s seat, and let her head roll to the side to regard him. “Maybe use small words, since I’m such an idiot.”

Hades sighed. “You’re not an idiot. You’re under a lot of stress, and even I will admit I can push the bounds of credulity. I am an all-powerful, near-immortal being of pure magical energy, a god in a world that does have aether and leylines.” He reached over and placed one hand on hers. “You are a young university student from a world plagued by the mundane, with no magic, no fate, no destiny. Just the things you can forge with your two hands. Yet… your people have made and done so much. It was the same thing I loved about the Garleans, and why I chose them, over all the other races of the Source.”

[FN] said nothing, waiting for him to finish. He said he wanted to be clear.

Seeing that she wasn’t going to give him an easy out, he reached into his suit pocket, and pulled out a small, Tiffany’s box. “I got you something.”

“We didn’t even go _in_ Tiffany’s.” She argued.

“_You_ didn’t go in Tiffany’s, you were using the facilities. I took advantage of your distraction, and went in myself. Now open the damn thing.” Hades scowled out the window.

With a sidelong glance at the grumpy Ascian, [FN] carefully untied the white ribbon, and opened the box. Inside was a silver charm bracelet, with a single charm - a crystal cut into the shape of a teardrop, in a little silver cage.

“It’s beautiful…” She said, and her cheeks flushed. “Why did you get me this?”

“I have a proposal.” Hades said, and took the bracelet from her, wrapping it about her wrist. “We will spend time together, as friends and lovers and whatever other fancy strikes us. Every time we do something memorable or noteworthy, I will add a charm to this bracelet. When it is full, you will have to choose what life you want.” He clasped it and took her hand in both of his. “Whether or not you and I will be friends…” Then Hades lifted her hand, her left hand to his lips, and kissed the base of her ring finger. “Or a family.”

“Why would you want that with me?” She whispered.

“Because you want me with you, and I like to feel needed. And as I said,” Hades grinned, “I’ve been watching you for some time.”


	2. Auld Lang Syne, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades and [FN] begin to make plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoop whoop more silliness for a warm up.

“Will you be going to a New Year’s Eve party?” Hades’s question took [FN] by surprise, and she glanced up to see him scowling at his laptop. 

“I… hadn’t really thought about it,” she grumbled, but it wasn’t quite the truth. She’d thought about it a lot - when she still had a boyfriend to _spend_ New Year’s Eve with.

Hades nodded once, sharply. “Consider yourself booked for the evening, then.” He tapped a few times on his laptop, pulled his credit card - where did he even _get_ one? - from his wallet and began keying in the information.

“What will we be doing?” she booted up her own laptop, and pulled it into her lap on the couch. Hades had commandeered her favorite armchair.

“That is for me to know, and you to be delighted by,” he replied smoothly. “It will be rather upscale. Do you have something to wear?”

“Um…” [FN] though for a moment. “I think I might have my prom dress, in the back of my closet.” 

Hades pressed a button, and his laptop went dark. “Show me.”

A few minutes later they stood in [FN]’s bedroom, every formal gown she had worn throughout high school piled on her bed. She idly tugged at the cheap polyester liner of one of them, strangely irritated by his scowl. 

“Is this really the best you have?” Hades asked, seeming to be personally offended by the pink organza of her senior year homecoming dress. “They’re all so… childish.”

“Hades, I’m only twenty-one…”

“And?” He queried. “In Garlemald you’d be considered a woman grown at sixteen, and probably be entertaining offers of marriage right now. In point of fact,” he made a slight gesture with one finger, and some minor disturbance of aether caused her charm bracelet to jingle softly, “you are. We’ll have to find you something more suitable.”

Hades flipped his wrist and looked at his watch. “But that will be tomorrow. It’s late, and we should get some sleep.”

[FN] glanced to the clock on her bedside table. “It’s nine.”

“Yes,” He said impatiently, picking up the gowns and hanging them in her closet. “And tomorrow morning I intend to take you out and secure proper attire for you.” 

“You don’t have to buy me things, Hades.” She looked down at the bracelet with guilt. “I’m not worth it.”

He froze, his back to her, then said, “Change into your pajamas.” His voice was hard with anger, and she took a step back, bumping into her dresser. 

After a moment he sighed, and his shoulders slumped. “I’m not angry with _you_, [FN]. Just at the situation. You have not been handled well. I can see that you are hurting. I am trying, however clumsily, to help.” He turned to face her, and gave her a weak smile. “It seems I am the villain your little game portrays.”

[FN] shook her head. “N-no. You’ve been nothing but nice to me, if a little cagey.” She turned her back to him and dug around in her drawers until she found a set of comfy flannel pajamas. “I should change. Sleep would probably do me good.”

“Sleep does everyone good,” he agreed. “I’m going to get changed myself. Do you want me to get you anything while I’m preparing for bed?”

* * *

Laying down in bed beside Hades was strange. It was one thing when it was a dakimakura, all soft and cuddly, but quite another when it was a man, and she was suddenly quite _aware_ of the fact that he was a _man_ in her _bed_. Aware of him in a way she never had been of her timid high school boyfriends.

“Are you all right, [FN]?” His voice resonated in the darkness, and she blushed, glad he couldn’t see.

“I don’t know. I’m sorry I made you angry, I just-” She stopped speaking when she felt a hand brush against her shoulder, gently.

“Let me hold you,” Hades whispered, and the vulnerability in his voice caused her heart to race. “I promise to keep my hands to appropriate locations.”

[FN] scooted closer to him, and found herself enveloped in his arms, her cheek pressed against his chest, her head tucked beneath his chin. Hades sighed contentedly.

“You know, a man could get used to this.” His hands came to rest on her back. “I want to get used to this.”

“Why?” She scowled, unseen, into his skin.

Hades stroked her back. “I am… enamored of you. You both wanted and needed me, in a way no one else did.”

“What do you mean?” Her voice was curious.

“On your world, roughly fourteen million people play that game. Of those, maybe ten million are aware of my existence in some meaningful capacity.” He ran his fingers down her back. “Of _those_ mayhap one million have some sort of attraction to me. Of those one million, approximately one hundred thousand expressed some kind of general need of me. Of those hunred thousand, mayhap fifty thousand were celebrating a holiday yesterday.” Hades nuzzled her hair, gently, pulling her closer. “Of those fifty thousand, only around one hundred were alone. Of those hundred, only twenty were physically attractive to me. And of those twenty, only one wept, and wished for _me_.” He kissed her forehead.

She blushed, hotly, and tilted her face up toward him, but his hand left her back, and he pressed a finger to her lips. “Not yet, [FN].” He turned her face away from him, and kissed her cheek, close to her ear. “I do want to kiss you, desperately,” he whispered, “but when I do, I want it to be perfect. Not in the middle of a depressive episode, as if I can somehow magically cure your sadness. Not even I can do that, and I want our first kiss to be full of joy.”

“Then you may never kiss me at all,” [FN] said, and laughed bitterly. “I don’t have a lot to be happy about.”

“I’m here to fix that,” Hades murmured against her skin. “You have been ill-used by the ones who claim to love you.”

“I told my parents not to cancel their trip -” 

“Because that’s what etiquette and propriety demanded of you,” he interjected. “They should not have asked you at all - it was a sop to ease their guilt, because they knew you would concede. If they cared for you as they aught, they would have cancelled the trip without seeking your input. But it is not just _them_.” Hades brushed his hand through her hair. “[FN], dozens of people who claim to care about you knew you were alone yesterday, and not one of them did you the basic kindness of rectifying it. A dark god of creation from another universe was the one who intervened, and it should _not_ have come to that.”

“For what it’s worth,” she whispered, “I’m glad you did.”

Hades was quiet for a long time, to the point [FN] began to suspect he had fallen asleep, and she wrapped her arms around him, tentatively, relaxing enough to bury her face in his chest, only to hear him reply, “So am I.”

* * *

“Your grades were abysmal.” 

[FN] yawned and opened her eyes to see Hades sitting up in her bed, scowling at his laptop screen. “Why are you looking at my grades?”

“Because I care. You got a C in literature.” He glanced down at her, his lips pressed itno a thin line in exasperation.

“Cs get degrees,” she replied, and rolled over, burying her face in the pillow.

“You _failed_ calculus.” His voice was almost accusatory, and it made her giggle.

“That class was weighted on the midterm and the final, and I had caught my ex cheating literally an hour before.” [FN]’s giggle died as she remembered unlocking the door, and the sight of him, leaning over her roommate - tears were streaming from her eyes before she could push the thought away.

“Don’t spare him a moment of your thoughts, my dear,” Hades set the computer aside and pulled her into his lap. “You’re mine, now. You needn’t worry about that.”

“I have to.” She sighed and wiped her face with the sleeve of her pajamas. “When I go back to the dorms, she’ll still be my roommate. I’ll at least have to see her until I can get a new room assignment, which might take a few weeks.”

“I’ll handle it,” he said, simply. “You worry about enjoying yourself.” Hades kissed her forehead. “I had an idea, if you’re interested.”

“What’s that?” She thought about how nice it was to be in his arms.

“Well, you need a dress for New Year’s, and I need time to get some work done, and make sure there’s a place for myself in this world. Why don’t you take my card and go shopping, and I’ll remain here?”

“What do you mean about ‘making sure there’s a place for yourself’?” [FN] looked up at him.

Hades chuckled. “People are going to ask questions, once you start introducing me around. Who I am, where I’m from, what I do for a living, etcetera. I need to have answers to those backed up by documentation. It will be tedious work, but not difficult. I would enjoy it much more if I knew you were out having a good time, not sitting on the couch moping.”

[FN] frowned. “But it’s your card, not mine. My name won’t be on it. They’ll think I stole it.”

He shrugged. “Easy enough fix. I’ll make one with your name. Do you want to go out?” Hades smiled a bit wider, and he kissed her temple. “Maybe we could meet up this evening, I could take you to dinner?”

She hesitated a moment. If she let him do this, she was accepting he might be around longer than the next few days. Hades seemed to be preparing to be a more permanent addition to her life. Was she ready for that? 

[FN]’s heart took over while her mind was stilled. “All right, Hades. I’ll see you tonight.”

His smile was warm and approving. “Good. I’ll text you where we’ll be meeting once I’ve made the reservations. And please,” Hades snapped his fingers, and a small black credit card with silver ink landed in her hand. “Money is no concern, [FN]. I will know if you try to be circumspect in what you spend. Let yourself be spoiled.”

* * *

Twelve hours later, [FN] stood outside an office building in the financial district, checking her phone. Hades had told her to meet him here, and she rocked in her new high heels anxiously. He was late. He was going to stand her up. She was going to go home and he was going to be gone. She would wake up and it would be the day after Christmas and nothing would be different. He was just - 

“There you are,” She heard his voice a moment before she felt his hand touch the small of her back, and then he was beside her. “It’s freezing. Why didn’t you go inside?” 

Hades scowled at the doorman, who immediately looked sheepish and opened the door. “Sorry, sir, thought she was a looky-lou.” 

The Ascian said nothing, ushering her into the office building, and towards the elevators. Once they were within, and heading towards the top, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her cheeks, her forehead, her chin, her neck. Everywhere but [FN]’s lips. “I missed you,” he whispered, then pulled away, squeezing her hand tightly as the elevator doors opened.


	3. Auld Lang Syne, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [FN] takes a call, and New Year's Eve begins.

The next few days passed relatively uneventfully, save for the sexual tension building between [FN] and Hades. By the time the thirty-first came around, their hands would find each other unconsciously, and his lips had touched every part of her that wasn’t covered by clothing _except_ her lips. 

It was both terrifying and exciting - she knew once the dam burst, neither of them would hold back. [FN] wasn’t even sure she was ready to have sex with him, emotionally, but her body responded without her realizing, and the way he sighed when he pressed his lips to her shoulderblades - when had she started wearing tank tops to bed in the middle of winter? - made her dizzy.

Her phone rang the morning of New Year’s Eve while Hades was typing away at his computer. He mentioned he’d found a job, and had to do some paperwork for it, but he seemed unusually driven. Hours of typing, only interrupted to eat, to sleep, and to reach out and caress her every time she passed. 

When she picked up her cell, it showed a photo of her mother, and played the ringtone she had specified for this particular contact - the alarums from Castrum Meridianum. Hades smirked, but said nothing as she answered. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hi sweetie!” Her mother’s tone was overly cheerful. “I’m sorry to bug you so early in the morning, but we got a funny call last night?”

“Oh?” [FN] felt her shoulders involuntarily hunch. A moment later, Hades’s hand was on her back, rubbing small circles.

“Yes, Rita, next door. She said she saw an older man coming in and out, and walking around our patio the last few days?” The tone of her mother’s voice rose ever so slightly, becoming tense. This was an interrogation.

[FN] glanced at Hades, and he gave a slight bow of his head. “I don’t know what you mean by ‘older’, but my boyfriend’s been over.”

Her mother’s voice instantly became hostile. “I thought you broke up?”

“We did. This is my new boyfriend.” She didn’t realize she was gripping the edge of the door so tightly until Hades’ fingers slipped over them, and his hand went from rubbing her back to wrapped around her waist.

“A new boyfriend? Already?” [FN] could tell her mother disapproved. “What will people think?”

“Whatever they want. My life isn’t their business.” Where had this anger come from?

“Well, what is his name?” 

“Solus.” [FN] was suddenly completely sure that she didn’t want anyone else calling him Hades, and the answering look of approval in his face, right before he pressed his forehead against her temple, said he felt the same way.

“Is he there?”

[FN] placed her hand over his where it was pressed against her stomach, drawing strength from him. “Yes.”

“I’d like to speak with him.” Her mother’s voice was icy. “Now.”

She looked at Hades. “My mom wants to talk to you, do you want to talk to her?”

He smiled and took the phone from [FN]’s hand. “Hello, Madame.”

She could hear her mother’s acidic, angry tones, but not the words she said.

“Isn’t that an impolite question,” he chuckled. “I’m thirty-seven.”

[FN]’s mother said something, and Hades laughed. “I wasn’t aware that was any of your business, madame.” He paused again, and his face darkened. “Then you can call me Dr. Galvus.” His responses became more and more clipped after that. 

“She’s twenty-one.”

“I’m not the one who left her alone at Christmas so I could gallivant across Europe.”

“What was she supposed to say? _’No?’_ Then you would have given her grief for ‘ruining’ your vacation.” Solus pulled out his own phone and began tapping on it, quickly, while he listened. “That is between [FN] and I.”

Hades held up his phone so she could see the words he’d typed. _Your Mother is about to order me out of the house, and attempt to give you commands. Do you want to come with me?_

She took the phone, and typed a response. _Where would we go?_

He glanced at the phone, then opened his email to show her he had already made a reservation for a hotel downtown for that night. Then he typed into the text box _I can extend the reservation until you must return to your university._

[FN] held her breath, and considered. Her mother had always used the fact that she had nowhere else to go as a bat to force her compliance, even after she spent the majority of her time at the University. Now, suddenly, a whole other option opened before her. An option that boiled down to one question - the question Hades was showing her on his phone.

_Do you trust me?_

“Your mother wishes to speak with you, darling,” He said quietly, and offered her her own phone back, his eyes guarded. [FN] hadn’t answered his question. She took the phone and held it to her ear.

“Yes?”

“I want him out of my house within the hour. I’m going to call Rita and have her come walk through and make sure he’s not there. You are _grounded_, [FN], until you go back to college. I cannot _believe_ you would -”

“No,” [FN] interrupted her mother. “Mom, I’m twenty-one. You can’t ground me. I’ll pack my things and go.”

“And where will you go, hmm? Going to be homeless on the streets? Going to -”

“Of course not, Mom. I’ll move in with Solus.” His smile at those words was sharp and bright, predatory and pleased. 

“You’ve been dating him, what, two weeks? And you’re just going to move in? Will he even let you?”

Hades said, just loud enough for her mother to hear - “I’ll arrange movers to pack your things, all right?”

“It seems so.” [FN] was shaking, and Hades put his arms around her, pressing his lips to the curve of her shoulder.

“Your father and I won’t pay for your college if you move out.”

“That’s fine,” [FN] squeezed his hand tightly. “Solus will.”

“What?” her mother’s voice went deathly quiet.

“You heard me. Solus will pay my tuition. It’s really not a problem. It’s probably better for me to move out completely anyway. I’m tired of being treated like a child.” Then, trembling like a leaf, she hung up the phone and set it down.

[FN] shook her head, “Oh God damnit. What have I done?”

“Lost your temper,” Hades said, and he was smiling. “Frankly, darling, it was long overdue.”

“W-What do you mean?” She was crying, and she hated it.

“I told you before, you’ve been ill-used. Yet this entire week you have done naught but mope and be afraid. Until now.” He clutched her against his chest, a triumphant smile on his face. “You lost your temper at someone who hurt you. You stood up for yourself. I know it doesn’t feel wonderful right now, but give it time. You _will_ feel more at ease.”

The doorbell rang.

“Fuck,” [FN] glanced towards the front door. “Rita.”

“Do you want to answer it? Or shall I?”

She shook her head. “Can we just go? Take my things and go? I feel like I’ve already done too much.”

Hades nodded and kissed the shell of her ear, then raised one hand into the air. “As my lady commands.” With the first snap, they were surrounded by boxes. With the second snap, the boxes were gone. With the third snap, they were downtown, outside of one of the historic hotels she’d always gawked at but never been in.

“Shall we?” His smile was playful.

[FN] took his hand. “It’s too nice, Hades. I’ll be forcibly ejected.”

He scoffed. “Then I’ll burn it to the ground. But I sincerely doubt you’ll have any issues.”

* * *

The hotel staff had been nothing but polite to her, and a bellhop took her suitcase upstairs to their room while Hades - Dr. Galvus to the staff - guided her a chic cafe attached to the lobby for brunch, then upstairs to their room, with a balcony and a lovely view of the lake.

[FN] took out her cell phone. Seventeen missed calls, and fifty-three text messages. “I’m so fucked.”

“Please,” Hades said, taking the phone from her and shutting it off. “I haven’t even kissed you, yet.” His tone was teasing, and he gave her an affectionate smile as he plugged the charger into the port at its base. “Do you mind a suggestion, my dear?”

“What is it?”

“You should take a hot shower, then a nap. We’ll be up very late this evening, and sleep does one a world of good.” He brushed her hair out of her face softly.

“Will you come with me?” the request was out of her mouth before she realized the implication, and she felt pain in her cheeks as she blushed.

Hades gave her a wicked smile, all teeth and promises, that made a shiver run down her spine and twist between her hips. He caught her chin on one finger and lifted her face to his, stopping just a hair’s breadth away from their lips touching. “Not for the shower, [FN]. Not yet. But unless I miss my guess? Very, _very_ soon.” Then he pulled away, leaving her hating herself for not crossing that tiny distance to take the kiss she so desperately wanted. “But I will happily have a nap with you afterward.” He grabbed his laptop and took a seat on the bed. “Go on then.”

Rifling through her suitcase - how had he known which toiletries to pack? - she took out her necessities and stalked into the bathroom, quite aware that her cheeks were bright red.

* * *

“[FN]!” Hades called. “Are you almost ready? The car should be downstairs in about ten minutes.”

[FN] stared at herself in the mirror. She felt ridiculous. She felt like a child, playing dress up in her mother’s wardrobe. She was taking so many risks today. How many of them would pay off?

Hades had said it was a ‘black and white’ party. She remembered standing in the store, staring at all the little black dresses. Thinking she was safe. Thinking she could try to get one over on him. Thinking she could get away with this catastrophic breach of etiquette in a bid to catch his attention.

“I’ll meet you downstairs,” She called out. “I just need to use the restroom.”

“All right…” his voice was dubious. “But if you’re not down there in five minutes I’m coming to fetch you.”

“I’ll be there,” she replied, then turned back to her face in the mirror. “Come on, [FN],” she whispered to herself. “Time to go all in.”

When she exited the elevator her long black coat covered her from shoulders to knees, hiding her dress, but Hades smiled appreciatively and kissed her cheek. “You look lovely.” He checked his cell phone, then took her hand. “The driver’s outside.”

The car was quiet, but he kept his hand in hers, stroking her knuckles absently with his thumb. [FN] caught him stealing curious glances at her a few times, but she merely smiled at him, then returned her gaze to the window. 

“You are up to something, dearest.” His statement was not accusatory, merely curious. “You will tell me what it is.”

[FN] smiled sweetly. “What is it you’re always telling me? _Not yet_?” 

Hades chuckled darkly.

* * *

Hades showed his phone to the attendant, who immediately brightened. “Dr. Galvus! We’re so delighted you could join us this evening. Please, let us take your coats.” The attendant reached out and took the jacket from Hades, who turned back just in time to see [FN] shrug out of her own coat to reveal her new _red_ dress.

“M-miss,” the attendant said, wincing. “You’re aware that this is a _black and white_ party, yes?”

[FN] didn’t take her eyes of Hades, watching as his gaze raked over her possessively. “It is?” She tilted her head, still watching him. 

His eyes snapped to hers. They both knew he had told her, but he said, “Please, forgive me. I forgot to inform her.”

“It’s all right. She’s young. I doubt anyone will make much of a fuss.” The attendant smiled permissibly, and went to put his hand on the small of [FN]’s back, but Hades grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him before the attendant could touch her. 

“Thank you,” Hades said politely, then guided her into the sea of monochrome, towards a table heavy with champagne flutes. He grabbed one, and downed it, then grabbed two more, offering one to her politely. He kept undressing her with his eyes, and biting his lower lip. Finally, after a moment, he calmed down.

“If you’re not going to play fair tonight, [FN],” he said, putting an arm around her waist, “then neither am I.” His hand slid down her side to her hip where he splayed his fingers across her curves, clutching her possessively.

“Oh,” she said lightly. “I’m fucked.”

Hades leaned close, and whispered in her ear, “Before dawn? Almost certainly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter will be the party and PROBABLY smut. Depending on length.


	4. Auld Lang Syne, Part 3 [EX]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The New Year's Eve Party, and After.

“I can’t keep my hands off you,” Hades whispered in her ear as they wandered through the quiet halls of the aquarium. “Zodiark,” he groaned softly, “I want to pin you against every flat surface I see and make you mine, [FN].”

She smiled widely, playfully, and leaned close to him, repeating her comment from the car. “What is it you keep telling me? _Not yet?_”

The other partygoers milled about the open spaces, murmuring softly to each other as they appreciated the sea life and the music from the string quartet that echoed through the marble halls.

[FN] felt everyone’s eyes on her as she passed, a single smear of red through the monochrome landscape, and while it made her uncomfortable, the way it made _Hades_ uncomfortable was worth it. He alternated between staring at her, and glaring at the other men whose gazes lingered even a moment. 

When they stopped before a large tank of jellyfish, lit with a blacklight to make their colors stand out, he whispered. “You did this specifically to torture me.”

Her giddy laugh was all the answer he got. She was dizzy from the champagne, and swayed a little bit when he started moving again.

“Have you eaten anything?” He asked, accusingly.

Tapping the champagne flute, [FN] said “The raspberries in the bottom of these.”

Hades laughed. “You are very drunk, I fear. Let’s get you something to eat, and something to drink that isn’t going to go straight to that pretty little head of yours.”

He led her through the aquarium to a large hall. Buffet tables lined one wall, piled with food, and people were seated at various tables throughout. They found an empty one, and he sat her down, carefully filling a glass with water, and set that before [FN].

“Drink that,” Hades said, kissing her cheek. “I’ll get you a plate.” Then he was gone, and she sat at the table alone, sipping the water and looking up at the ceiling.

The scraping of wood on marble was the only warning she had before an older man, probably in his sixties, sat down beside her.

“What, exactly, is a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this?” He said, smiling at her in bemusement. “Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

[FN]’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Do I know you?”

“Not yet,” he laughed. “Paul Kennick.” He held out a hand, and she shook it, tentatively. “You’re supposed to tell me your name, now.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but a plate suddenly settled on the table in front of her.

“You’re in my seat, Kennick.” Hades glowered at the man. “Shouldn’t a man your age know better than to bother a young lady minding her own business?”

“Is it a crime to want to know more about the girl who got the mysterious Solus Galvus to leave his seclusion for a _party_?” Paul’s smile was cruel. “I didn’t expect your tastes ran so… young.”

“Solus isn’t the one who did the pursuing,” [FN] said, setting down her water glass. 

Hades placed a hand on her shoulder, possessively. “As I said, you’re in my seat.”

The older man got up. “Hopefully we can speak again in the future, miss.” He gave Hades a warning glare, and trotted off into the crowd.

With a sigh, Hades settled into the now-vacated chair, and set a plate down for himself as well. “Idiots.” He brushed the backs of his fingers along her upper arm. “I hope he didn’t upset you too much.”

“No, I’m fine.” [FN] toyed with the slices of steak on her plate. “Are you okay?”

“Perfectly well. Now eat. You’ll need your strength.” He carefully unfolded his napkin and placed it in his lap.

“For what?” She tilted her head towards him.

He grinned. “It’s going to be a long night.”

* * *

Two hours later, her head was much clearer, and Hades lead her out onto the terrace, with the rest of the crowd. The Director of the Aquarium’s conservation efforts gave a speech thanking everyone for attending, and their donations, but [FN] couldn’t stop herself from looking at Hades. He blended in so well with these people, but she felt like an outsider, and it had nothing to do with the color of her dress. 

Sensing something of her unease, Hades took her aside, to the edge of the terrace, between one of the standing outdoor heaters they’d provided, and a large tree dusted with snow. “What’s wrong?” he whispered, sliding his tuxedo jacket around her shoulders.

“Oh, I just feel out of place.” She shook her head. “I’m not really used to this sort of thing.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead. “That’s all right. I don’t particularly enjoy these parties but…” He looked back over his shoulder toward the crowd. “I want to give you everything, [FN]. Anything your heart desires. I thought you would enjoy this.” Hades shrugged lamely.

“I do.” She took one of his hands in hers. “I just…”

“_Ten!_” The crowd began the countdown, as across the lake one of the skyscrapers lit up with the countdown.

“Just what?” He asked stepping closer to her.

“_Nine!_”

“I’m not used to it.” [FN] shook her head.

“_Eight!_”

“Do you want to be?” She felt his hand clasp her hip.

“_Seven!_”

“The party? I’m ambivalent.” [FN] looked up at him, and felt her cheeks grow hot.

“_Six!_”

“Is there something other than the party you’re discussing?” Hades was smiling, and he brought his other hand to her face.

“_Five!_”

“You.” She thought she might still be drunk, the way it just slipped out.

“_Four!_”

“So you’re not used to me,” He brushed his thumb along the curve of her cheekbone.

“_Three!_”

“Not yet.” Her hands were on his chest, and she could feel his heart pounding just as hard as hers beneath her fingers.

“_Two!_”

“Tell me what you want, [FN].” His voice was rough with yearning.

“_One!_”

“I want to be yours, completely,” She clutched his shirt in her hands. “Until I’m so used to it I take you for granted.”

“_Happy New Year!_”

[FN]’s only warning was his predatory grin, a flash of white teeth in the dark, then his mouth was on hers, pressing her lips apart to allow his tongue to find her own. Her knees buckled and she whimpered, but it was lost in the hungry exploration that she couldn’t escape, and didn’t want to. Hades’s kiss was decadent and all-consuming, blotting out everything else around her - the cold, the sound of the crowd cheering, the flashes of fireworks over the lake. It was only the two of them, only this kiss, and she let herself drown in it.

Hades did not break the kiss as he pushed her back, making her already weak knees give out and she toppled backward, onto something soft and warm, and she was suddenly aware that the sound of fireworks had faded to subtle booms, like a bass system in a distant room. He groaned and dragged his lips down to her neck as she opened her eyes to see they were back in their hotel room. His hand moved up her back from her hip, toward the zipper between her shoulder blades. 

“My coat,” she said weakly.

He sank his teeth into the flesh at the top of her breast as he began to unzip her dress. “I’ll buy you another.” then the soft fabric slid off her shoulders, leaving her exposed in the lacy lingerie she’d thought herself so sly for buying. 

His hands ran over her body, exploring greedily, then he chuckled and stepped back from her, leaving her half dressed and kneeling on the bed. “Zodiark,” he groaned, and ran a hand through his hair. “You’re beautiful.”

[FN] blushed under his gaze, and had to scrape together what bits of self control she could to not reflexively cover herself. She wanted him to look at her. “Tell me what you want, Hades.”

He firmly took three steps back, then settled himself onto the armchair in the corner of the room, untying his bowtie and letting the ends dangle loosely while he unbuttoned his shirt so he could breathe. With a snap of his fingers, a glass of red wine appeared in his hand, and he took a sip and stared at her. “I want to watch you pleasure yourself.”

“W-what?” [FN] blushed and drew her knees together. “Why?”

Hades smiled, but his free hand was gripping the arm of the chair so tightly his knuckles were white. “You are always so worried about what you can do for others, eager to please them. But you said you want to be mine. And as long as you are mine, I want you to be selfish.” His voice was like velvet, sending shivers along her skin. “I want you to live decadently. You have more than paid your dues, [FN]. It is time to reap your rewards.” 

His hand shook with self-restraint as he took another sip. “So I want you to lie back on that bed and give yourself an orgasm while thinking of me. I promise, it is not the only one you’ll have tonight.”

[FN]’s whole body was shaking with nerves as she did what Hades commanded, stretching herself out on the soft white sheets, then slipped her hand inside the sheer lace panties. She wasn’t surprised that she was wet, but she felt so exposed, so vulnerable, under his hot, heady gaze. Every twist of her finger around her clitoris was echoed in the flexing of his fingers on the arm of the chair. Without realizing her other hand went to her breast, toying with her nipple until her eyes fluttered shut, and she lost herself to the physical pleasure, forgetting the nerves and anxiety.

“Hades,” [FN] whined, squeezing her thighs together. “Hades, I feel empty.” Her hips were writhing on the bed. “I want you inside me, Hades.”

“I know,” he purred, “but you’re doing so well, [FN]. I don’t want to interrupt you.”

She let out a gasp that turned into a desperate mewl. “But I want to get off on your cock.”

He groaned. “You will, darling. I swear it. But give me this first.”

She gasped out another plaintive whine, then arched her back, opening her eyes to look at him. The wine glass was empty, sitting on the side table, and one of his hands was threaded through his hair. The other was clinging to the chair for dear life, as if his grip upon it was the only thing keeping him from ravishing her. His jaw was clenched so tightly that she could see the stead tick of his heartbeat in the taut muscle just below his ear, but when he realized her eyes were open, their gazes met, and that was all it took for [FN] to lose control.

“H-Hades!” She cried out. Her orgasm ripped its way along her skin, a thousand tiny needles moving over her in a wave, followed by a sensation of heat and warmth and release. 

[FN] was trembling as she pulled her hand from her panties, but Hades was there, and caught her by the wrist, lifting her hand to his lips to lick it clean while his eyes bored down into her.

When she felt a little more like herself, and looked up at him curiously, he gave her another vicious grin. “My turn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to be smut as well.


	5. Auld Lang Syne, Part 4 [EX]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More smut.

Hades leaned over [FN], letting his hands drift over her skin, following the seams of her lingerie. “How much did this cost, my dear?”

She blushed. “I… don’t remember. I didn’t check.”

Her words brought a wide smile to his face. “Good. I don’t want you concerning yourself with prices and trivialities. But you will tell me where you bought it.”

“Why?” She ran her fingers, still wet with his saliva, across his cheek.

“So I can replace it for you.” He gripped the front of the bustier in the center between her breasts, and tore it open with a quick jerk, then let his eyes brazenly drink in the sight of her breasts. “Do you have any idea how much I want this?” His voice was barely a whisper.

“No,” [FN] replied. “But I can’t wait for you to show me.” 

Hades groaned and began unbuttoning his shirt. “You’re supposed to be terrified of me,” he teased.

“Why?” She tilted her head. “I have you wrapped around my little finger.” She twisted her finger in the air, in demonstration.

He paused. “You _do_, do you?” His eyes narrowed, but there was no malice in them. “I think it’s the other way ‘round, darling.” He began pulling off his belt. “You’ve already shown you’ll do exactly what I say.”

[FN] blushed. “Maybe I will.”

“That’s what I thought.” He smiled. “But I’m still going to have to make you pay for your insolence.”

Her face faltered for a moment, but he bent down and kissed her. “Don’t worry, my dear. You’ll enjoy every second.”

Hades sat beside her on the bed and trailed his fingers over her chest, exploring every curve and crevice. “If I had known you were _this_ beautiful beneath your clothes I would not have waited as long.” He bit his lip.

“You only waited a _week_,” [FN] argued playfully, but still pressed herself into his touch.

The corner of his mouth tugged up into a smirk. “My statement stands, darling. If I had known what awaited me I would not have hesitated to have you that first time you tried to kiss me.”

She grinned. “Why are you hesitating now?”

“This will change things between us.” His caresses slowed, and he looked into her eyes. “I am much older than you. And you are not in a good place right now. And I am not…” 

Hades leaned down and kissed her skin, sinking his teeth into the curve of her waist, just above her hips. It lanced through her body, leaving her trembling for a moment, but then he pulled his mouth away from her, and licked his lips. “I am not a patient or gentle lover, [FN]. I am possessive,” he pulled his shirt open, and tugged it off his shoulders. “I’m domineering.” He began to unbutton his pants. “I am violent.” He leaned over her, biting the side of her breast, and she heard his pants hit the ground.

“I’m needy,” Hades kissed her, his tongue sweeping through her mouth posessively. "I'm passionate." [FN] lifted her head to try to interrupt him with kisses, but he stayed out of her reach while sliding his own hand into her already-soaked panties, to begin tracing the same circles she had shown him. 

"If you give yourself to me tonight, [FN], I will love you with all the affection and adoration and obsession that I love Amaurot. But do not mistake me. You will be mine, as long as we are still adding little charms to that bracelet. And after, if that is what you choose." He dipped a finger into her, rubbing against the front wall of her passage, just behind her clitoris, and [FN] whined. "I will possess you, body and soul. Are you sure you want that?"

[FN] could feel her face flushing hotly, “Hade~es…” she whimpered, shuddering in delight as he toyed with her.

He smirked and pulled his fingers out of her, turning his hand to grip her panties and snap the elastic string around one hip, leaving them to dangle loosely off her other thigh. “‘Twas a yes or no question, my dear,” he purred, and bent his head, dipping his tongue into her navel. “Is this what you want?”

Hades did not wait for an answer, instead pushing apart her knees with his hands. He gripped her thighs, keeping them well apart while he lowered his head again, this time to her sex, and brushed his tongue between her labia, barely caressing her clit. “[FN], my dear,” he whispered, his breath hot on her body. “Do you want to be _mine_?”

“Yes.” Her fingers were in his hair when he brought his lips down to her clitoris again, and she was enraptured by the way the muscles of his shoulders flexed every time she tried to lift her hips, pinning her to the bed. He was definitely too good at this, in her opinion, but it felt too delicious to argue much. One by one the anxious thoughts and self-doubt began to flicker out like they had when she’d masturbated for him, and soon she was thinking of nothing but the feeling of his mouth on her and her quickly approaching orgasm.

Just as she thought she was about to climax, he pulled away, chuckling wickedly, and wiped her arousal off his face with his fingers and licked them clean. “Greedy thing,” he teased as she whimpered her displeasure. “Didn’t I swear you would get off on my cock?”

[FN]’s eyes widened slightly and she tried to sit up and reach for him, but he shook his head, and pushed her firmly back against the bed. “No you don’t. I’m going to fuck _you_, not the other way around.” He stood for a moment beside the bed, pushing off his boxers, then climbed back between her legs, leaving a trail of affectionate kisses up her torso until he reached her neck. 

“[FN],” Hades murmured, pressing his weight down against her “[FN], I beg you, let me have you.” His tongue trailed along her neck, followed a moment later by his teeth catching her earlobe. “You’ve said you will be mine, my love. Tell me what you want.”

“Please, Hades,” Her voice was choked with arousal, and his arms slipped around her as she arched her back. “Hades, I want you.”

“You want me to what, [FN]?” His tone was teasing, but he clutched her tightly. “_Tell me_ what you _want_.”

“I want you to fuck me,” she whimpered, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “I want to be yours.” Anything else she might have said was lost, as Hades kissed her again, rubbing his cock along her slit a few times, prodding her clitoris with the head before thrusting into her to the hilt.

Hades was big - too big, almost - and [FN] could do little else but cling to him with her arms and legs and focus on remembering to _breathe_. He kept rubbing that same spot he’d found with her fingers, which she began to suspect was the ‘G-spot’ she’d heard so much about, and she was definitely understanding the difference between an experienced lover and a boy play-acting at being a man. Every touch seemed to come at the perfect moment, every kiss just as soon as she _thought_ she wanted one.

It was invigorating, being with someone who actually wanted her to get off, rather than someone who would pout beside the bed if she didn’t fake an orgasm for him. She was suddenly angry - _so_ angry - at her ex, and Hades must have picked up on it because he moved one of her hands to her face and tilted her chin up, stretching her neck as far as it could go, and bit her, roughly, before whispering. “I don’t want anyone else to enter your thoughts when I’m inside you, [FN]. You’re mine. Not his, not any other’s. _Mine._” 

He increased his pace, digging his fingernails into her skin every time she faltered, and soon his continued attention worked as intended, and she orgasmed again, completely different from others she’d had before. Whereas they had all been light, just along her skin, this was heavy and deep - causing her stomach to clench a moment before her arms and legs reflexively tried to curl inward to protect herself. But Hades was there, caught in her embrace, so all they served to do was pull him in deeper, making his relentless love making inescapable as she lost herself in pleasure that seemed to echo out of her very bones.

When she could string a thought together again, she realized Hades’s thrusts had become erratic, and he was rasping heavily in her ear. She cooed gently to him, and murmured his name - that was all it took before he hilted into her one last time and jerked with his own climax.

[FN] felt her mind drifting into sleep almost immediately afterward - she was warm and satisfied and more than a little drunk. Everything felt wonderful and perfect, her breathing evened out, and just as sleep claimed her, she heard Hades whisper, “Zodiark, I missed you.” Then she was lost to sleep.

* * *

[FN] was dreaming. She knew she was dreaming because Hades was there, but he did not look nearly so tired. He wore nothing more than a thin linen wrap around his waist, and sandals, like she saw depicted on ancient pottery. They stood in a field of barley, that stretched as far as she could see, and it was twilight. 

Hades kissed her, softly. “You will be safe here.”

She had a thousand questions, but the one she asked was, “When will you return?”

“Not long,” His smile was playful. “I just need to take care of the Fourteenth and his little cult.”

“Do not make me wait forever, Hades.” Her voice was commanding, and she realized she was not the one speaking, but it was her mouth that was moving, her lips that shaped the words.

“I made this world for you, my love.” He kissed her again. “Enjoy it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we'll be back with what I'm trying to pass off as a plot these days. Hahahaha.


	6. Back to School, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [FN] returns for the spring semester.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo, gonna start developing some actual plot!

The next five days Hades and [FN] did little else but enjoy each other, in every way they could. Their days were spent out enjoying the city - the Christmas Market, the Opera, museums, even just quiet walks along the lake. Their nights were spent in each other’s arms, desperately trying to find the ephemeral edges of their hunger for one another, to no avail. It was always exhaustion, not ennui, that ended their ardor, and left them eager for each other still.

The morning of the sixth, however, found [FN] curled up in a chair at the desk, grumbling at her desktop, while Hades had stepped out to get breakfast. She had to sign up for her classes for the new semester, and was not looking forward to it. Changing her major halfway through her second year meant she was still lacking in some of the general education courses, and she did not look forward to either of the classes she had been forced to sign up for.

She had to retake calculus, that was a given, and she was just thankful her previous professor, Dr. Marillon, had taken a leave of absence for the quarter. She’d never felt as though the woman liked her, and hoped that a new face might be a chance to make a better impression, and maybe get a better score. The other class she’d been forced into, a humanities course called “Death Cults throughout History” seemed like it would at least be interesting. But, both of them had the professors listed as “To be determined”, so she couldn’t even take advantage of the internet to give her some idea of what to expect.

She went to close down her laptop, but it played a small chime, and her messenger lit up. Her roommate, Abby.

>   
Abby: I hope you’re not mad at me.
> 
> [FN]: Why would I be? It’s not like you slept with my boyfriend. Oh wait.
> 
> Abby: We can’t help how we feel about each other.
> 
> [FN]: Maybe not, but you could have come to me and told me. He could have broken up with me properly.
> 
> Abby: Look, I’m just trying to figure out if you’re going to get over it or spend all semester trying to break us up. Or worse, moping around about how the world is so unfair to you.
> 
> [FN]: Wow. You’re not even a little remorseful. At all.
> 
> Abby: Why should I be? Cody and I fell in love. Sure, the circumstances were regrettable, but if you’re actually my friend and the hopeless romantic you claim to be, you will understand.
> 
> [FN]: Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve already moved on.
> 
> Abby: Right? Let me guess - long distance relationship, he goes to college on the other side of the country, hooked up while you were home for the holidays? You know he’s just going to ghost you once the break is over.  


[FN] slammed her laptop shut and pushed it away. She’d been trying not to think about that. Trying not to think about what would happen when she had to go back for the next few months. Where would Hades go? What would he do? She buried her face in her arms and sighed heavily. He had told her to relax. To live selfishly. To let him worry about long term concerns and consequences for now. There was nothing to do but trust him.

The door opened, and Hades came in, a bag in one hand, two coffees balanced precariously in the other, and his room key in his mouth. [FN] got up and took the coffees from him, and he set the bag on the table while he pulled the room key out of his mouth and pressed a kiss to her lips. “They were out of the muffins you like so I got you a bagel, is that all right?” She was surprised by his genuine concern. “I can conjure one of the muffins if you prefer, but -”

She laughed. “No, it’s fine.” She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I like bagels, too.” 

They sat together, enjoying breakfast, but Hades kept checking his phone. After the third time before he’d even finished the little breakfast burritos he’d declared were “the finest invention of modern man”, [FN] asked, “Are you waiting on a call?”

“Several, I’m afraid. Oh,” His eyes lightened, as if he suddenly remembered something. “Did you fill out the off-campus housing paperwork?”

Her mouth was full of bagel, but she raised a hand to it and swallowed. “Sorry, was I supposed to? I thought I was just going back to the dorms.”

Hades scoffed. “Absolutely not. You’re _mine_, [FN]. If you think I’m about to let you live separately from me, you have another thing coming.” His phone beeped, and he smiled. “Aah. Perfect.”

“What is it?”

“Finish your breakfast. We have an appointment in an hour. I’ll get started on the forms for you.” He wandered over to her laptop and opened it, and she winced upon realizing her conversation with Abby was still up on the screen. He stared at it for a moment, then clicked away. “Our appointment is to go look at the house I am hoping to buy near your campus. I’ve seen it twice myself, but I wish to be sure it meets with your approval.”

* * *

Sure enough, an hour later, Hades had taken her through one of his shadowy portals and they stood just outside a pleasant-looking house three blocks from campus. A young real-estate agent approached, and shook Hades’s hand. “Nice to see you again, Dr. Galvus.”

“Please, call me Solus. I’d like to introduce you to my girlfriend, [FN].” Hades gestured toward her politely while the agent extended his hand. “Dear, this is Fred. He has been most helpful with this matter.”

[FN] took Fred’s hand and shook it amiably, making the two charms that graced her bracelet jingle against each other. The newest one, that she’d found when she awoke on New Year’s Day, was a little articulated jellyfish made of silver. She wondered idly when Hades would add another before focusing her attention on the conversation at hand. Fred was speaking to her.

“Solus tells me you are a student.” Fred asked, all smiles. “What’s your major?”

“Asian Studies,” she said, “but I’m hoping to continue on to grad school and get a Masters in Folklore as well.” [FN] laughed in self-deprecation. “I know, not very marketable.”

Hades put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. “Don’t worry over that, my dear. For now, focus on your courses.” He turned his attention back to Fred. “Shall we give her the grand tour? The lady’s opinion will determine if we purchase or not.”

Fred’s forehead furrowed. “Don’t classes start next week? We can’t have the closing papers drawn up that quickly.”

Hades waved a hand. “I’ve already made reservations at a nearby hotel. Though I am happy to pay extra to ensure the process is finished as quickly as possible.” He glanced pointedly toward the door. “Shall we?”

“Y-yes, of course. Sorry,” Fred ducked his head by way of apology and unlocked the front door. 

The house was beautiful - the kind of thing she’d seen in magazines. Big open windows that let in the sunlight, hardwood floors, new appliances in the kitchen. Hades found her in the living room, looking out the big bay window towards the street, and took her hand, leading her upstairs.

“It has a number of bedrooms,” he said, “So you needn’t be pent up in one room with me all the time, as much as I enjoy it. I’ll need one of them for my office, and one to be our bedroom, but I was thinking _this_ one…” At that, he pushed open a door to a small room, with large windows overlooking a flower garden in the backyard. “...could be your study.” 

She walked inside and approached the window. The plants in the garden were mostly dark sticks with leaves at the moment, but she could imagine how they’d look in springtime. Beautiful, and bursting with color and life. She could imagine exactly how this room would be. Her desk tucked up against one wall beside the window. Her bookshelves on the far wall. And Hades…

He approached her, quietly, and put a hand on the small of her back. “Do you like it?”

[FN] gave him a playful smile. “That depends, I haven’t seen our bedroom.”

When they descended the stairs twenty minutes later, Hades informed Fred that he would be purchasing the house, and [FN] thanked every god she could think of that the real estate agent hadn’t come upstairs looking for them.

* * *

The next week, in the new hotel room, [FN] did one last mental run-through of her plan for the day. First, walk to campus. Second, Go to the bookstore and get her books for today’s classes. Third, head to that Death Cult class she’d signed up for. Then lunch, then Calculus. Afterward, she would go to the library and start planning for any major papers and tests, then come back. 

Hades pouted from the bed, still nude from their lovemaking both last night and that morning. “Skip your classes, darling. Stay here with me.” Still, his mouth turned up into a smirk at the suggestion.

“Tempting, but no,” she replied, pulling on her new coat. “I’d rather save my absences for the days when I can afford to miss class.”

“Hmm, I suppose you’re right. You need to do well so your GPA can recover from last semester’s calculus.” He stood, and kissed her cheek. “I will see you later though, yes?”

She nodded. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way back from the library.”

The bookstore was crowded, but not unmanageable, and she shoved her books into her bag without giving them a second glance, and raced across campus to the Humanities building. She managed to slide into a seat in the small lecture hall just a few minutes before the door opened, and a familiar face appeared. 

“Hello, everyone!” Paul Kennick said, his smile affable. “I’m Dr. Paul Kennick, and I assume you’re all here for the ‘Death Cults Throughout History’ class? If not, I’m afraid you’re in the wrong room.”

When no one argued, he nodded, and [FN] tried to sink down into her chair. “I’ve uploaded the syllabus to Blackboard, so feel free to take a look at it at your leisure, but this is quite possibly my favorite topic, so I’d like to get right to it.” 

She was relatively sure he hadn’t recognized her, so she opened her laptop and pulled down the syllabus. Nothing too extravagant - the grade was weighted mostly on a paper that was due on the last day in lieu of a final exam. Otherwise, attendance and class participation would make up the bulk of your grade, with a note that extra credit was available upon request.

“We’ll start by discussing a fascinating trend amongst death deities: if they are male, they are married, and share that power with their wife. If they are female, they are often ‘abducted’,” he gave an apologetic look to the class. He did not need to elaborate on the euphemism, “and then share power with their male counterpart.”

“In fact, the earliest death god that we have a clear legend of is Ereshkigal, the Queen of the Earth and the Underworld in the Sumerian mythological cycle.” Dr. Kennick clicked a button on his laptop, and the projector showed a carving of a naked woman with wings and lots of jewelry. “It is said that Nergal, the god of war and pestilence and plague -” He clicked again, and the image of a man, wearing a short, knee-length linen wrap and sandals, carved in the same style as the first, was shown on the screen. “- descended into the underworld, and was warned by Enki - the god of knowledge - not to eat, drink, or have intercourse in the realm of the dead. Of course, Nergal fails the challenge, and has his way with Ereshkigal for six days. After that, he is forced to return to her for six months out of the year, every year.”

The class murmured, and Dr. Kennick nodded. “You might notice that this is an extremely close inversion of the well-known Greek myth of…?” Then Dr. Kennick was looking at her. Directly at her. “Do you know who I’m referring to, Miss? Forgive me, I don’t know your name yet.”

Her stomach clenched. She couldn’t get out of an introduction now. “My name is [FN].”

“Miss [FN],” Dr. Kennick said politely. “Now, the Greek myth, Miss [FN]?”

“Hades,” she said, clutching her pen tightly, “and Persephone.”

“Exactly.” He seemed pleased. “Now, if it was just one line of cultural heritage that had this tale backwards and forwards, we would just brush it off. But it isn’t.” He clicked once more, and the screen began to populate with images of art from cultures all across the world. “In point of fact, we have a hard time finding _any_ male god of death who is unmarried or not slavishly devoted to his wife. Even if those wives’ names do not come down to us in the existing record.”

“What about _goddesses_ of death?” another student asked. “I mean, I have never heard of the Norse Goddess Hel having a husband.” 

“She didn’t,” Dr. Kennick agreed. “And she was seen as an angry, terrifying goddess. Much like other _single_ goddesses of the dead across the world.” Paul Kennick was looking at [FN] again, and his smile was affable. “Much like Persephone, before her abduction.”

“Wait,” another student asked, “I thought Persephone was the goddess of like… springtime, flowers, rebirth.”

“She is,” Dr. Kennick agreed. “But that is part of her duality. To be reborn, you must die. And there is a reason Homer calls her _dread Persephone_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, I'm gonna milk this dread Persephone thing from as many different angles as I can.


	7. Back to School, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [FN] attends Calculus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still suffering writer's block for other fics, so this one gets more attention.

_That was an unmitigated disaster,_ [FN] thought as she slouched in a seat in the food court. Dr. Kennick had been needling her throughout class, constantly asking her opinion. To make matters worse, he assigned the topics for their final papers as well. Most people got easy stuff, like writing about one particular culture’s death gods, or similarities between various myths. Her topic, however, had been something he kept trying to hammer home - the ‘bargain’. It seemed to happen often, where one partner would attempt to make a deal with the other, to keep them for a prolonged period of time. She looked down at her bracelet, and remembered what Hades had said - when it was full of charms, she’d be forced to make a choice.

She wondered how much Kennick knew, and how much she _didn’t_.

Still, it was a matter to be discussed with Hades over dinner, not fretted about when she had her least favorite subject coming up. She’d always been terrible at math, as long as she could remember. Every course had been a struggle. Still, if she could just scrape by with a C, she would never have to take another course of it again. 

[FN] settled into a seat in the lecture hall, still nibbling the french fries left over from lunch, and opened her laptop. She just hoped, no matter what happened, that this class wasn’t going to be as disastrous as the one with Dr. Kennick.

She ate those words, almost immediately, when a familiar form slumped into the seat beside her.

“Hey [FN],” Cody said. 

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for Calculus.” He pulled his own laptop out and opened it.

“I mean, why are you sitting next to me?” [FN] wanted to die. Of all the people she wanted to see in this class, Cody was absolutely at the bottom of her list.

“The seat was open. Plus, I mean, I do want us to still be friends.” He gave her the winning smile that a month ago would have melted her heart. But that was a month ago.

“I don’t,” [FN] said, and visibly pulled away from him. “Besides, you don’t need any more math courses to graduate. Why did you take this?”

“You haven’t heard?” He perked up, like he always did, when he got to talk about _his_ interests. “The professor for this course got announced this morning. I had to go fight the crowds to get transferred in.”

“Crowds?”

“Yeah,” Cody began tapping on his laptop. “I can’t believe he came out of seclusion to teach _here_ of all places.”

A sharp noise started to ring in her head at the word ‘seclusion’. “What are you talking about?”

A door near the front of the lecture hall opened, and brought the most unwelcome answer to that question. [FN] had been wrong. There was one person she wanted to see here even less than Cody, and he just strolled through the door.

“Good Afternoon,” Hades called, approaching the desk and setting down a briefcase he hadn’t had that morning. “I am Dr. Solus Galvus, and I’ll be your calculus instructor for this semester.”

“Oh,” she mumbled, and covered her eyes with her hand. “I want to die.”

Cody put an arm around her, but she shrugged it off. “Come on, don’t be like that, this is exciting!”

“Don’t touch me,” she whispered. “I swear on all that’s holy, Cody, if you value your life you will not touch me.”

He pulled his arm back and held up his hands defensively. “Sorry, sorry. As I said, I want to be friends! I think it could -”

“Young man?” Hades voice was icy, and [FN] and Cody both looked toward him at the front of the room. “It appears the lady is not interested in your advances. I suggest you remove yourself lest I be forced to do it _for_ you.”

Cody blushed angrily. “Thanks a fuckin’ lot,” he whispered, then grabbed his laptop and moved to another seat at the end of the row. 

“Now, as I was saying,” Hades drawled. “We’ll take attendance today with an ungraded quiz through Blackboard. It’s just so that I can get an understanding of where everyone is with the basic concepts, so don’t worry if you do not know something. Please, go ahead and get started while I prepare a few other things.”

[FN] didn’t know if she wanted to fall into a hole and die, or run out crying. Either way, this was disastrous. Her boyfriend had taken a job teaching at her university and he was teaching one of her classes, the one she hated the most.

Her phone vibrated softly in her pocket, and she pulled it out check the message. It was from Hades.

>   
Hades: Are you all right?
> 
> [FN]: No. My asshole professor just set us a pop quiz day one.
> 
> Hades: Not about that. I mean that boy.
> 
> [FN]: Cody. My ex. He’s an idiot.
> 
> Hades: The former implies the latter. Anyone foolish enough to lose their grasp on you must be dim-witted to the core.
> 
> [FN]: Why are you doing this?
> 
> Hades: Doing what?
> 
> [FN]: Why are you a professor? Couldn’t you be content being a rich recluse?
> 
> Hades: First, I need some project to fill my time. Second, you did poorly in Calculus, and I am here to remedy that. Third, I need an excuse to traverse this campus at my leisure. I much mislike leaving you unaccompanied.
> 
> [FN]: So you’re just going to follow me everywhere?
> 
> Hades: Yes.
> 
> [FN]: Why?
> 
> Hades: We talked about this. I am possessive, needy, and domineering. And you are mine.  


[FN] could feel Hades eyes on her, and she looked up to meet his gaze. He smiled, then looked back down at his laptop. Her phone buzzed again in her hand.

>   
Hades: Shouldn’t you be doing your quiz?
> 
> [FN]: Why? I’m fucking the professor. That has to come with some perks.
> 
> Hades: Is that what you want?
> 
> [FN]: What do you mean?
> 
> Hades: I know some people are into that sort of thing. A more clearly delineated power dynamic than what currently exists between us.
> 
> [FN]: I don’t know if you can call what we have a power “dynamic”. It’s a pretty firm power imbalance. I’m reliant on you for literally everything right now. I don’t have the option to tell you no.
> 
> Hades: You can always tell me no.
> 
> [FN]: But will you listen?
> 
> Hades: That depends on the situation. If you are displeased or uncomfortable , of course I will do my best to remedy it. But I may ignore you if I consider the situation to be in your best interest.
> 
> [FN]: Do you consider being my professor to be in my best interests?
> 
> Hades: Yes.
> 
> [FN]: Why?
> 
> Hades: You are quite intelligent and should not have failed last semester. I am attributing it to the emotional shock and an incompetent professor. I have done what I can to rectify both of those situations.
> 
> [FN]: Can I make a request, if I have to suffer through this? A personal, vindictive request?
> 
> Hades: Anything.
> 
> [FN]: Make Cody’s life a living hell.
> 
> Hades: As my lady commands. Now get to the quiz, my love.  


[FN] sighed and tucked away her phone. Some of the questions were easy, purely intended to take up space, others were extremely difficult, that she could only infer were from graduate level calculus courses. Still, it didn’t take long, and when it was done, she looked up to see Hades had filled the white boards with example equations, and was standing by his laptop, frowning.

“Who is _Cody_?” he asked in irritation.

Cody’s face paled. “Th-that’s me, Dr. Galvus.”

Hades scowled at him. “First you harass one of my students, then you decide not to take a simple assessment seriously? I didn’t realize that two plus two equalled the letters ‘IDK LOL’.”

Cody shook his head. “I-I didn’t.” 

“Then explain the results submitted under your name?”

Cody clicked a few times and he looked up, shocked. “There’s been a mix up. This isn’t what I put in.”

“Well, it is what I received. I suggest you begin to take this class seriously lest I be forced to drop you.” Hades gave the boy a dark look.

A moment later, [FN]’s phone buzzed again.

>   
Hades: I hope that met with your approval?
> 
> [FN]: It did. It’s fun to watch him squirm.
> 
> Hades: So long as that enjoyment remains solely vindictive. I am not pleased at the idea of you having ‘fun’ that involves another man.
> 
> [FN]: But you are pleased at the idea of me having ‘fun’ that results from something you’ve done.
> 
> Hades: Quite pleased.
> 
> [FN]: I’m sorry if it seems petty.
> 
> Hades: You’re entitled to be petty. And as much as I am enjoying this conversation, I must actually teach this class. Can I take you to dinner tonight?
> 
> [FN]: I was hoping you would, I have something I want to talk about.
> 
> Hades: What’s that, my dear?
> 
> [FN]: Ereshkigal, Nergal, and Paul Kennick.  


[FN] watched as Hades face went from soft bemusement to shock in an instant, and he looked up at her, then put his phone away.

* * *

The rest of the class went relatively smoothly, with Hades giving a rather basic lecture, and continually needling Cody for the tiniest infractions. But no matter what happened, he wouldn’t look at [FN] and she found it frustrating. As soon as it was over, he practically fled from the room, and she was only a moment after him, ignoring Cody calling her name.

Hades raced across the campus, his long legs carrying him at a pace that nearly forced her to run, but soon she realized where he was going - the Humanities building loomed ahead, and she lost sight of him in the crowd.

Still, [FN] made her way to what she suspected was his destination: Dr. Kennick’s office. As she approached, she could hear their voices from inside, and stayed against the wall to eavesdrop.

“You still haven’t told me what you’re doing here, Galvus.” Kennick said. “You’re not a student.”

“No, I’m a _colleague_,” Hades hissed. “And your door was open.”

“Be that as it may, I have other things to do with my time than listen to hysterics from importuning physicists.” 

“You know that’s not why I have come.” Hades’s tone was hard. “You told her about Ereshkigal and Nergal.”

“Of course I did. It’s the topic of the class she _chose_ to take.” Kennick chuckled. “But I wonder why that bothers you so?”

Hades huffed. “Drop her from the class.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Kennick’s chuckle grew to a laugh. “Do you think I don’t know what game you’re playing? I’ve been researching this topic for the better part of your life.”

“Have you, now?” Hades’s tone was growing dangerous. “I suspect you have no idea what you are talking about, but regardless, I will give you one warning. You will keep your distance from [FN]. She is _mine_.”

“Just because you found her first doesn’t mean you are entitled to her.” Kennick’s voice turned from amused to angry. “Keep this up, and I’ll go to the Dean regarding your relationship with her. Isn’t she one of your students?”

“My patience is wearing thin, Kennick.”

“So is mine, Galvus,” he replied, “I’m content to play this game as gentlemen, but if you insist on acting like an angry toddler because someone else is interested in the prize you unearthed, then I shall be forced to take action. Besides, at no point have you thought of the desires of the lady herself.”

“She would tell me if she wanted things to be different. As it is I’m going to have to have an uncomfortable conversation with her over dinner, thanks to your meddling.” Hades’s responded petulantly.

“Good. I hope she leaves you so that we can play this game fairly.”

“Where her heart is concerned, I refuse to play fairly. I’ve told you once before: [FN] is mine. You will leave her alone.”

[FN] quietly stepped away from the wall, and headed back down the hallway, towards the elevators. Whatever was going to happen, she had a feeling Hades wouldn’t appreciate her having heard that conversation.


	8. Back to School, Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades has an uncomfortable conversation with [FN].

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a little work done for other fics, but I'm tired of staring at blank google docs feeling like an idiot so here's the only fic I can write yet again.

It was after dark and snowing when [FN] stepped out of the library. She went to pull her hat onto her head, but Hades stepped out of the shadows under an umbrella. His face was somber.

“Walk with me?” He asked, and she nodded, stepping under the arc of black fabric and linking her arm with his. They continued on in silence, along the wide, salted paths of the campus, until they reached the street. While they waited for the light to change, he said, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about your calculus class. I thought you would be happy to have me there.”

[FN] blushed softly. “If it were any other subject, I would. But I’ve always been terrible at math.” The corner of his mouth twitched, but he said nothing, so she continued. “I just… I don’t want to fail you. I don’t want you to think less of me. Not when you’re doing so much to try to make me happy. I know I don’t deserve it and I -”

Hades kissed her, stopping her self-deprecating comments for a few moments, and filling her with warmth that seemed to flood to her toes. The crosswalk changed, then changed again, and Hades hit the button with his free hand, all without removing his lips from hers. When he finally did pull away, it was to tug her across the street in his wake, the headlights of the waiting cars making his shadow stretch into something monstrous across the intersection.

“You deserve everything, [FN]. I will not hear you say otherwise. I know you are imperfect, as I am. You played that game. You saw what happened to me. You saw what happened to Amaurot.” He stopped and tilted his head back, closing his eyes and letting the snow fall on his face, to melt into tiny beads of water on his skin. For a moment, she was struck by how _exhausted_ he looked. Then the rest of his statements caught up with her, and she slipped her arms inside his long wool coat, wrapping him in a tight hug and burying her face in his chest.

After a few quiet moments, [FN] felt his arm wrap around her, and his lips press against the top of her head. “Come on. Let’s get you somewhere warm. There’s a well-reviewed restaurant just up the street that I’d like to try.”

She walked with him a few more blocks in silence, but the dour mood seemed to have lightened somewhat. Hades turned, and opened the door to a small restaurant that billed themselves as having curry from around the world. Just inside the door, a hostess smiled at them. “Table for two?”

“Yes,” Hades said, “And we would like some privacy, if you have anything that lends itself to that?”

The hostess glanced at the small map of the restaurant, then nodded, grabbing a pair of menus. “This way, please.” She led them to a small booth in a back corner, and [FN] was so thankful it was near a heater. She took off her coat and took a seat, while Hades set his briefcase down and removed his own coat.

A waitress approached, and Hades nodded in her direction. “Black coffee, and Panang with chicken for me. As spicy as you can make it.” He looked to [FN].

“Hot green tea, and japanese curry with chicken for me, please.” The waitress nodded, and headed back towards the kitchen, leaving them in the relatively deserted restaurant.

He finally took his seat, and ran a hand through his hair. “So.”

“So,” she replied. 

“I feel like I should preface this by saying this is a conversation I had planned to have later. After I felt you were more confident. Paul’s intervention has forced the issue, but I was not intending to keep this from you more than a few months.” Hades folded his hands in front of himself anxiously. “Coming to see you was not the first time I have been to this world.”

The waitress returned with their drinks, and vanished again, and Hades took advantage of the interruption to change the subject. “Do you want me to quit working for the university?”

She thought about it for a moment while she sipped her own tea. “No.”

“Why not?” He seemed genuinely interested in her response.

“You are right, I could use the help. I would just prefer to keep our relationship quiet. Not…” she sighed. “Not lie about it, or hide it, but don’t advertise it, I suppose? I’d like to avoid being seen as only being successful because I’m romantically entangled with a professor.”

Hades nodded. “That’s fair. I would not want to undermine all that you’ve accomplished so far. Very well. In class, at least, nothing but professionalism, unless the situation demands otherwise.”

[FN] nodded. “Agreed. Now… about Kennick’s class…”

He winced. “The… less comfortable subject.” She made a vague noise of agreement, but didn’t interrupt, and he sighed. “I don’t know how much you’re aware of, so I will try to keep to the relevant details only. Please understand, I am trying to sum up millenia of complicated topics in an evening, and that I am trying to be sensitive to what you are ready to know and understand. Not that I feel you’re lacking in intelligence or anything, but some things are better learned slowly than dumped upon you all at once.”

“That’s fine,” [FN] said. “I don’t want to pry, but I don’t want you to keep secrets from me that are relevant to our relationship or my life.” 

Tilting his head in acceptance, he said, “Ereshkigal was my wife, in Amaurot.” [FN] sat up in surprise, but didn’t look at him. “This world was built by my father, as a sort of…” he ruminated for the right word. “A sort of pleasure palace for my mother. As a gift. A pocket dimension into which they could escape and while away years in bliss. There were no people then. Just endless lush gardens, beauty…” Hades sighed. “Every myth - every legend - has some small element of truth at its core. My father was the all-knowing omniscient god of this world. It could also be said that my parents were Adam and Eve, in that they were kind, and innocent, and in their time this world was a wondrous paradise. This whole world was their Garden of Eden.” His hands clutched the coffee cup.

“I did not know. Not until after, that when we summoned Zodiark, my parents willingly sacrificed themselves. They so believed in the Convocation, in our plan, in…” his voice faltered for a moment, “in _me_, that when the call for sacrifices went out, they gladly did it, that Ereshkigal and I might see a better future - or, in truth, any future at all.”

He nodded as the waitress set their meals on the table, and waited until she was gone to continue. “This world, though, was bound to my father’s magic, and he had gifts that I did not. I could not keep it that eternal paradise that he had made. But I could keep it intact, which I did. It was one of the only things I still had of them. So the world, for lack of a better term, _fell_. It became the world you are used to - plagues and famines and natural disasters.”

He took a bite of his curry, and did not flinch at the heat, despite the fact that [FN] could practically taste the capsaicin in the air. “When the Fourteenth left the Convocation, and began forming his little cult to summon Hydaelyn, I convinced Ereshkigal to come here. I wanted her to be safe from the political turmoil overwhelming Amaurot. As my wife, she would be a target for the cult.”

[FN] frowned slightly, and Hades sighed. “Forgive me. I’m getting off topic. While my father had a gift for creating these worlds, pocket dimensions, as they were, my gift lay with the Underworld. And that is how I populated this world. When I realized what Hydaelyn would do - strike Zodiark and sunder him, I drained every soul waiting for reincarnation out of the Underworld of Amaurot, and brought them here. I saved as many people as I could, which were, admittedly, not many.”

“And in their rage and anger at the end of Amaurot, they decided to avenge themselves upon me, and slew her.” His face was pained, and he would not look at [FN]. “I returned, eager to speak with them, to plan how we might undo the sundering, and I saw what they had done, and I…” His voice faded, and she realized he was crying.

“Marriage in Amaurot is not like it is here. When you marry, you place your spouse above all other loyalties. Nothing matters but your bride. All other concerns are secondary. Her whims might as well be commands, for the power they will have over you.” [FN] reached across the table and placed a conciliatory hand on his army, and Hades clutched it tightly. “When I found her dead, it was not just that they had murdered my wife. I had failed, directly, by not protecting her well enough. It is a failure that haunts me still.”

They sat in silence for a long time, their food and drinks growing cold, while Hades stared at some distant, unseen point, grief evident on his face. Finally, he shook his head. “I found her again, in what you would consider Greece, a young woman answering to the name Persephone. I had used ‘Nergal’ as a term to hide my true identity, and I hoped, by calling myself Hades, she might remember me. She dreamt of me, sometimes, but nothing else. I was so afraid that the restless dead that populate this world would try to harm her again, that I abducted her to another world, and offered her a bargain.”

He let go of [FN], and took a drink of his coffee. “That is the nature of the bargain Kennick wants you to write about, and the one I’m offering you, at the end of our time together - how close do you want to be to me?”

“W-wait,” [FN] said, pressing a hand to her neck. “You’re telling me that I’m Amaurotine?”

“Yes.” Hades replied.

“That I’m a reincarnation of your wife?”

He nodded, mutely.

“Doesn’t that mean I’m already your wife?” She asked frowning, and he shook his head.

“No. Ereshkigal died. Other incarnations have married me, like Persephone did, but even she could only tolerate me for half a year at best.” He smiled ruefully. “But you are your own person, and I cannot have you as entwined with me as she was without your consent. Thus, this time. The bracelet. We will figure out what our life together will look like, and then I will give you the choice. There are some who have walked away from me completely. It is your right.” 

He leaned back and sighed. “I’m not sure what game Kennick thinks he’s playing, but I think he has severely misinterpreted the situation. He thinks you might be some sort of key to divinity, when the truth is that divinity is within the grasp of every living soul. All they need do is reach for it, unlock that secret within their own potential, and they will live forever.”

“And my soul has done that? In the past I mean.” 

Hades chuckled. “Well, to be fair, you had help.” 

They both laughed a moment, then he took her hand. “I understand if you want space tonight. But if you don’t…” Hades face was vulnerable, and he looked at her shyly. “I don’t want to be alone.”

“Neither do I,” [FN] said, and pulled his hand to her lips.


	9. The Feast of St. Valentine, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades threatens Cody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fun little chapter to segue into the next story arc.

>   
Hades: Zodiark, this is harder than I thought.  


[FN] glanced up from her phone to see Hades sitting at the front of the classroom, staring at his phone. He’d been teaching classes at the University for a month now, and things had settled into an easy rhythm. They’d just moved into the house he had bought last weekend, and [FN] was surprised at how excited she was for the idea of domesticity with Hades. It couldn’t all be hotel rooms and vacations and fancy dinners. She was eager to see what they would have in the quiet of a home, with all the simple pleasures that entailed.

>   
[FN]: What is?
> 
> Hades: Staying professional when you are looking so delectable.
> 
> [FN]: Cad.
> 
> Hades: You like it.
> 
> [FN]: Maybe. Why is this so difficult now all of a sudden? It’s been going well these past weeks.
> 
> Hades: Yes, but now I have a home to lock you away in. A place to keep you away from others’ prying eyes.
> 
> [FN]: You don’t want to lock me up. As much as you like to possess me, you like to show me off as well.
> 
> Hades: I plan to.
> 
> [FN]: Plan to what?
> 
> Hades: Show you off.
> 
> [FN]: To whom?
> 
> Hades: Kennick. He’s been too quiet recently, which makes me think he’s up to something. If I have to deal with him, I want it to be sooner rather than later.
> 
> [FN]: What do you have in mind?
> 
> Hades: The University is having a reception for a lot of large donors this weekend. Faculty are encouraged to attend. 
> 
> Hades: You don’t look happy.
> 
> [FN]: Oh, it’s fine.
> 
> Hades: No, I know that face. That’s the “I’m going to do what someone else wants me to do even though it sounds torturous” face. What is it?
> 
> [FN]: I was just looking forward to spending some time at home with you. Now that all the excitement from the Holidays and everything is over. 
> 
> Hades: Could you clarify?
> 
> [FN]: You said, before, that part of the point of this time together is to figure out what our lives would look like. How can we figure that out if there’s always a party or an event just around the corner, if we’re never just… together?
> 
> [FN]: Sorry, I’m happy to do whatever you like.
> 
> Hades: Don’t be sorry, you have a point. We do need to get used to each other in a more mundane way. I can’t keep using expensive outings to cover up my many flaws. But… You are aware that Valentine’s Day is in a week and a half, yes?
> 
> Hades: Why are you blushing?  


[FN] put her phone away and covered her face with her hands, and she heard Hades laugh. A few moments later, he said, “Something has come up in my personal life that I must attend to, so I’m ending class early today. Feel free to leave at your leisure.”

Cody appeared at her side as she stood to leave. “Hey, can I talk to you? It’s kind of important.”

Sighing heavily, [FN] said, “It had better be.” 

She eyed him impatiently until he mumbled. “Can we talk somewhere that isn’t the middle of a classroom?”

Without a word, [FN] turned and made her way out of the building. She could feel Cody in her wake, following her like a lost puppy. Finally, she stopped underneath an awning that offered a little protection from the wind, but it was still chilly. _Maybe he’ll make it quick, then._

“Well,” she said abruptly. “Talk.”

“Look, [FN], I…” he seemed anxious. “I fucked up. Bad. I shouldn’t have fucked around with Abby, like at all. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

“Maybe one day,” [FN] replied. “But not right now. I need to hate you for a while.”

“B-but I apologized,” Cody said, aghast as she rolled her eyes and turned away. “I said I was sorry!”

“Good,” she called over her shoulder. “I hope you are.”

Her steps grew faster as she put distance between herself and Cody, and she felt a little victorious. [FN] knew that back during Christmas, that conversation would have gone much differently, but knowing she was able to walk away from him without regrets made her feel powerful.

In celebration, [FN] stopped in at Starbucks and bought herself a fancy latte, then giggled to herself as she walked the rest of the way home, hoping she’d find Hades waiting for her.

As she stepped up onto her porch, however, she heard Cody’s voice behind her. “[FN]! Wait!”

She stopped, and turned to face him. “For someone who wants forgiveness, following me home isn’t a great first step.”

“Well, I’m not sorry for following you,” he said, and walked up the path, stopping just before her. “I’m sorry I slept with Abby. I fucked up, and I was stressed out from finals, and I want you to know I’m ready to take you back.”

“Take _me_ back?” [FN] replied. “I’m not the one who fucked around. I’m not the one who thought it was a great idea to start sleeping with my girlfriend’s best friend and roommate on the side. Besides, I’m not interested in dating _you_ anymore. I have someone else.”

Cody laughed. “You? Someone else?” He shook his head. “Abby told me you made up some fake boyfriend over Christmas. Look, it’s fine. I’m not mad. And I will break up with Abby -”

“You didn’t even split up with _her_ before coming to ask me out again? What are you, an idiot?” She took a step closer to him, and felt the same anger she’d had when she last spoke to her parents come on quick and hot. “How about you fuck off before my boyfriend finds out you’re here? I’m not interested in cleaning viscera off my new driveway.”

“You’re so hot when you’re angry,” Cody said, and suddenly he grabbed her arms and kissed her, holding her so tightly it hurt and she couldn’t pull away. 

[FN] considered biting him hard enough to draw blood, but then a soft cough from just behind Cody got him to release her. She stumbled back against the door, and prepared to slap him, but felt the anger and fear rush out of her when she saw Hades there, a gloved hand gently touching his chin.

“Cody.” His tone was hard. “It seemed as though the young lady was not interested in that kiss.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Cody said, “We’re not on campus. Did you fucking follow us here? I’m just trying to visit my girlfriend.”

“Really?” Hades smirked. “But why on earth would you visit _your_ girlfriend at _my_ house?”

Cody’s face paled and he looked between [FN] and Hades. “W-wait… This is your house?” He turned to her. “Then what are you doing here?”

[FN] rolled her eyes, and Hades said, “You really aren’t very bright at all, are you, boy?” He stepped around Cody and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right, darling?”

“Oh, fine. Just the usual, you know,” [FN] said cattily, glaring at Cody. “Being assaulted by my ex on my front porch.”

“You’re dating _Solus Galvus_?” Cody asked incredulously. “He’s like, forty!”

“Thirty-seven,” Hades interjected.

“And famous!” Cody exclaimed.

“Only in certain circles,” Hades demurred.

“And _way_ out of your league!” The younger man huffed. “Holy shit! Everyone’s gonna freak when they hear about this.”

“Are they going to hear about it?” [FN] was surprised at how sharp her own voice had become. “Are you really interested in having to explain that you stalked me from campus and assaulted me on my porch to get this information?”

“I..” Cody began, but Hades shook his head.

“If you want some friendly advice, young man, I suggest you turn around, head back to your dorm room, forget what you saw here, and make peace with your regrets.” He trailed his fingers from [FN]’s shoulder to her chin, and tilted her head up, then kissed her, softly. “I would also suggest you withdraw from my class. I’ll even be kind enough to make sure it isn’t counted against you. I’ll just say you inadvertently interfered in my personal life and I think it would be a conflict of interest for me to continue teaching you.”

“Isn’t it a conflict of interest for you to teach _her_?” Cody argued.

Hades smile went from bemused to hard. “Apparently it is difficult to get through to you. Let me speak plainly. You will desist from attempting to interact, in any way, with either myself or my girlfriend. If you don’t, not only will we report today’s indiscretion to the police, but I will make it my personal mission to see you thrown out of the University on rather unsavory grounds.”

Cody scowled. “We’ll see.” Then he stormed off down the driveway, his hands shoved into the front pocket of his hoodie. [FN] watched him until he disappeared around the corner of a building, while Hades opened the door, and together they went inside.

* * *

Hades made dinner quietly, some type of pasta with white wine and fresh vegetables, while [FN] monitored the various social media pages for information. “I don’t trust him,” she said, when he set a plate in front of her and kissed her forehead. “He’s going to tell someone.”

“I don’t know why you’re worried about it,” he replied, and sat down in the seat beside her, and pushed her laptop closed. “You’ve given him enough of your thoughts for a lifetime, much less a single day. Forget him. Eat your dinner, have some wine.”

“I’m just worried. I don’t want to deal with the repercussions of our relationship being well-known yet.”

Hades placed a hand on hers. “Do you want me to kill him?”

[FN] turned to him, shocked. “W-what?”

Hades’s eyes were calm and calculating. “Do you want me to _kill_ him? I can make it look like an accident.” He didn’t seem bothered by the idea at all.

“I… We’re jumping straight to murder?”

“Do you have a better idea?” He seemed genuinely curious, as if discussing her opinions on a book.

[FN] thought for a few moments. Did she _want_ Cody dead? “Don’t kill him,” she finally said. “It’s too easy, has no real repercussions for him. He’ll just be reincarnated as a baby somewhere and remember nothing. It won’t serve any real purpose, as it will still draw suspicion in my direction if there is _any_ way to construe his death as not an accident. Even then, Kennick thinks I’m some kind of… I don’t know.” She sighed. “He knows I’m associated with the supernatural in some way. There’s too many variables in the air for me to be sure it won’t come back to bite us. Whereas the more mundane issue - Cody telling people that we’re in love - can be handled by more mundane means. And if he does, I can go to the police. Better he suffers in this life than causing more trouble just by moving on to the next.”

Hades was staring at her, a small grin tugging up the corner of his mouth. “Are we?”

“Are we what?” [FN] asked.

“In love?” He clarified.

She laughed. “That depends. Do you love me?” 

He took her hand and kissed her palm. “Desperately.”

[FN] blushed. “Then I suppose we are.”

“Then say it.” 

She couldn’t tell if he was commanding or begging. “You first.”

He said nothing, then. But later that night, when she was standing at the bathroom sink washing her face for bed, he came in and kissed the back of her neck, and whispered, “I love you.”


	10. The Feast of St. Valentine, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something, Something, 物の哀れ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! My writer's block is (slowly) ending!

“We could go,” [FN] said the next evening, leaning on the doorframe of Hades’s office in the Sciences building. “To that faculty thing.”

He looked up, and twisted his pen back and forth in his hand. “I thought you wanted to be domestic.”

“We can be, for Valentine’s Day, but your job is important.” She idly ran her fingers along the plaque set in the center of the door at eye height, tracing the letters of his assumed name.

“And?” He asked, leaning forward on one hand. 

She frowned. “Why does there have to be an ‘and’?”

Leaning back in his chair, he shook his head. “I told you to be selfish. I want to know what you’re getting out of it before I agree.”

[FN] sighed in defeat. “And if you make our relationship publicly known amongst the faculty, it’s less likely to blow up in our faces if he tells them.”

“And what of your concerns? That you will be seen as riding on my coattails?” Hades crossed his arms behind his head.

She grinned impishly. “What if we let Kennick think he’s right?”

He pursed his lips in thought for a few moments, then began to laugh. “If he thinks you’re the one I’m chasing, and there is something to his theory…”

“He will try to protect me from the blowback as well, if only to get in my good graces,” she finished. 

“Thinking like an Ascian already,” Hades purred. “Very well.”

* * *

“Solus!” A middle-aged woman approached as Hades and [FN] entered the faculty party, all smiles. “I’m so glad you could make it. I was worried that I was the only one Steve was going to be able to con into coming to this thing.” 

“Well, I thought I might as well make the rounds,” He replied, smiling in bemusement. “Have you met my girlfriend?” He turned to [FN]. “Darling, this is Olga, one of my colleagues in the physics department. Olga, this is [FN]. She’s majoring in Asian Studies.”

Olga’s face went momentarily pale. “Y-you’re dating a student.”

“Yes.” Hades said, and his smile didn’t falter. “Who do you think lured me out of my estate?”

“Does Steve know?” The older woman asked. 

“If he has a problem with it, he’s welcome to fire me,” He put his arm firmly around [FN]. “She’s the only reason I’m here.”

“Well,” Olga said lightly. “This is going to be interesting.”

Hades introduced her to a few more faculty members, and things were going well, and then she winced, hard. “Oh no,” she whispered, and turned so she was pressed into his chest. She could feel him instantly focus his attention.

“What is it?” he murmured into her hair. 

“Behind me, Seiko-sensei. Had her for one semester of Japanese. She was a horrible teacher. The whole class bombed. I ended up having to withdraw so the grade wouldn’t affect my GPA.”

“If the whole class ‘bombed’, as you put it, then it was not a failure on your part.” He said soothingly. 

“Maybe,” [FN] replied, “but she was still a condescending bitch about it.”

“On a scale of one to ten, my love, how vindictive are you feeling?” he asked, and tightened his grip on her waist.

[FN] thought for a moment, taking comfort in how he held her. “Eight.”

He nodded, once, then kissed her temple. “The things we do for love.”

“[FN]?” Seiko’s voice had that same, sickly-sweet tone she always used when she was getting ready to cut someone down. “What are you doing here?”

She turned to face her, and heard Hades say, “She’s with me.”

The other woman’s eyebrow went up. “And you are?”

“Solus Galvus. Newest professor in the physics department.” Seiko’s eyes darted between the two of them for a moment. “How do you know [FN]?”

“I taught her Japanese,” she said. “Well, tried to, at any rate. She just lacks the skill for it.”

“I somehow doubt that. Anyway, you’ve met my date, it seems, but I’ve not had the pleasure to meet yours?”

The older woman’s face flickered with an unreadable emotion, and [FN] was shocked at how quickly Hades found her sensitivity and exploited it. “I’m here alone,” she replied smoothly, then shot [FN] a dirty look. “I don’t need a man to get ahead.”

“Are you sure? You’re still teaching Japanese at this little underperforming state school. If you want to do anything real with your life, you should really get to it. Christmas cakes, 物の哀れ, and all that.” He took a sip of his champagne and raised his eyebrows. [FN] was forced to cough into her hand to keep from laughing aloud. “Speaking of,” he turned and kissed [FN]’s cheek. “Let’s get some food in you before you’ve drunk yourself silly like last time.” Then he pulled her away, heading towards the buffet. 

A few minutes later he sat her down at a table by his side, put a plate down in front of her, and kissed her hand. “Ready to be public?” He asked.

“That’s why we’re here,” she replied, then the donors closed in. 

Soon, Hades and [FN] were awash in people who were eager to meet the famous physicist, and just delighted when he introduced them to his girlfriend. She suddenly found herself the proud owner of a veritable deck of business cards, with little notes scribbled on the back. Each was a job offer or internship or even just an insistence they should do lunch. She stared at the stack in surprise until Hades surreptitiously slipped them into her purse. “We can go over them later, if you’re interested in any of the offers. For now, enjoy the attention.” He grinned and leaned closer, letting his lips brush against her ear. “I can’t wait to get you back to the house and -”

“[FN],” Kennick’s voice said, tearing her attention away, and Hades glowered. “Oh, I see you brought the recluse with you.”

“More like I brought her,” Hades countered. “This is a _faculty_ function after all.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek, and [FN] saw it for what it was: a blatant declaration that she was _his_, and no one else could have her.

The other man raised his hands. “Fair enough, fair enough.” He tilted his head to one side. “How’s that paper coming along?”

[FN] felt Hades’s eyes on her. Time to put their little plan in motion. “As well as can be expected.” She turned her face to Kennick fully, and smirked. “A lot of your suggested sources describe events a bit differently than I remember them.”

“A bit differently… than you…” Kennick’s face blanched for a moment, then it immediately filled with a sudden, hungry smile. “So it’s true, you -”

“I’m not interested in discussing it openly.” She felt steel cut into her voice, as if someone else, someone stronger, was speaking through her. “My affairs are my affairs, and it is not for you to intervene.”

Hades was openly staring at her, his face pale. Both his hands grabbed hers beneath the table, while Kennick seemed chastened. “Forgive me, [FN]. I didn’t mean to pry. But perhaps we can discuss things privately? Over lunch.” 

Whatever had driven her in that moment fell away, but she kept up the facade. “I’ll consider it.”

“Of course. Please,” he was smiling excitedly. “Enjoy the evening.” Then Kennick was gone, so thoroughly dismissed.

Hades was gripping her hand so hard it hurt. “Y-You…” His voice was weak, barely a whisper, but his eyes were both haunted and hopeful. He opened his mouth to say something else, but she shook her head.

“I don’t know what it was,” she confessed. “The words just came out.”

“Right,” he said, and turned away, then wiped the tears from his eyes. “Right.”

* * *

That night, she dreamed again. She was standing by a cliff, looking out over the sea. Hades was beside her, in a Greek toga, with half his chest exposed to the summer breeze. “Do you remember anything of Amaurot?” he asked, clutching her hand in his.

“No,” she lied. She remembered everything. Their beautiful city, the coming destruction, his maddened desire to save her, all the people he sent here with her. Their confusion, their petty wars, their deaths. They could never last as long as she did.

“Persephone,” Hades’s voice was weak, and he pleaded for her attention. “Is my Ereshkigal truly gone, then?”

He said her name, her _true_ name, and it near tore her heart out. But she had to lie to protect him. If she did not, he would stay here with her. He would never leave. He would shirk his duty to their people and to Amaurot and spend an eternity with her here. She would enjoy every moment with him, but she could not, in good conscience, allow him to forsake his duty as Emet-Selch, the Architect, Beloved of the Underworld and member of the Convocation.

“Who is Ereshkigal?” she asked, staring at the sea.

Hades sat on the ground and wrapped his arms around his knees, weeping openly. His terrible, broken sobs echoed off the cliffs and drowned out the crashing waves below.

Then it stopped. Everything stopped. The wind, the waves, Hades weeping, her hair rippling in the breeze. Her face turned, and she was looking into her own eyes, [FN]’s eyes, and she realized she was staring at herself, at a reflection.

“We made ourselves forget,” [FN] said. “He had to believe that we were gone, so that he could try to rebuild Amaurot.” She smiled. “Hades loves us to distraction, to the point that he would forsake all other duties for us, as is the way of all Amaurotines. So we forsook ourselves for him. But now he is dying. The Fourteenth struck true, and only we can save him. So we have to remember, and keep him here.”

[FN] looked down at her hands, and _she_ looked down at her hands, and they were both holding a pomegranate, torn open, with the seeds scattered on the ground at their feet.

* * *

The next day, Hades was in a black mood, remaining distant from [FN], letting himself be absorbed in the work of lesson planning. She moved around him quietly, doing her homework, picking up around the house, loading the dishwasher. It was as she did this last that he finally came back to her, and put his arms around her waist, swaying in place with her.

“I love you,” she said into the silence. 

He lowered his head, and pressed his forehead into her shoulder blade. “And I love you, [FN].”

“You know that I am all right with you grieving for them, right?” He swallowed, and she turned to face him. “It makes me feel better, knowing you will miss me when I’m gone.”

Hades’s face took on a pained expression. “I don’t want that. Not for a long time.” 

[FN] laughed. “Neither do I. I am happy and safe with you. I want to keep that as long as I can.” 

Their lips met, and he pressed her back against the counter, taking as much of her mouth as he could claim in his need for comfort. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and let him step closer, pinning her in place while his erection pressed against her thigh. She moved her hips against him, in simulation of what he yearned for, and he tore his lips from hers.

Hades glanced around the room, at the dishes still to be loaded, the bucket of hot soapy water ready to mop. “Forget the cleaning,” he said, and ran his fingers over her cheek. “Let me wile away the day making love to you.” 

As he pulled her up the stairs, she couldn’t help but remember what he’d said to Seiko-sensei.

物の哀れ

_Mono no aware._

_Life is precious because it is fleeting._

She wondered what that meant to a God of Death.


	11. The Feast of St. Valentine, Part 3 [EX]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solus and [FN] celebrate Valentine's Day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A silly little domestic scene before we start White Day.

[FN]’s phone buzzed in her hand, and she glanced down. Hades had sent her a text, but she quickly tucked it away. He would be asking where she was, and she didn’t want him to figure that out just yet. If she was going to surprise him, it had to be an actual surprise.

Her shopping cart was already full to near bursting with ingredients - specialty tomatoes, a prosciutto end, three different types of italian cheese - so she just needed to grab a few more things, and she’d be ready.

The last week of classes had been interesting. The Dean had dropped by Kennick’s class to have a quiet word and make sure Solus wasn’t ‘taking advantage of her’, but when the famous physicist had threatened to quit over harassment of himself and his girlfriend, the university let the matter drop. His presence had brought in too much money to risk losing him that easily.

Now it was the day before Valentine’s Day, and while they’d discussed having a domestic weekend, [FN] still wanted to do something for Hades. The difficulty was figuring out what to do for someone who could reorder reality to his whims. She had finally settled on an old classic - just cook for him. The one thing he could not make for himself was her time and affection, so that is what she’d give him.

The texts became more and more insistent as she loaded her groceries into the back of an Uber, and made her way home. The driver helped her get the groceries to the porch, and Hades nearly tore open the door when she put her key in the lock.

“Where have you been?” he demanded, a scowl etched into his face. “I’ve been texting you.”

“Yes, and I’ve had my hands full.” She replied. “Help me get the bags in, but no peeking.”

In immediate violation of her command, he glanced down. “Groceries?”

“What did I _just_ say?” [FN] sighed. “I’m going to cook.”

“Why?”

She looked away from him, already carrying bags into the kitchen. “Because it’s Valentine’s Day, and I want to do something nice. For you,” her voice faltered, at the end, and she busied herself unpacking the bags he’d transposed from the porch to the kitchen table while he stared at her.

“You want to cook for me?” Hades seemed shocked. He opened his mouth a few times, as if to say something, then frowned again. “You…” he swallowed. “Very well.” He turned away, befuddled, and went back to his work.

* * *

The next morning, [FN] got up early and got the pots and pans out of the dishwasher, carefully laying out everything she’d need. She put the fancy olive oil in a saute pan, and crushed some garlic and onions into it while she listened to music on her phone. 

Hades came downstairs while the sauce was just beginning it’s all-day simmer, and tugged one headphone gently out of her ear. She gave him a dirty look, but he grinned mischievously. “What are you making?”

“What was it you said to me? ‘That’s for me to know, and you to be delighted by’?” His answering laugh made her smile, and he kissed her cheek. 

“I was thinking, if and when you have some free time today, we could watch something romantic on Netflix?” His eyebrow went up curiously. “Or… whatever else you’d like to do. I’m amenable.”

“I’m sure,” she said, smiling. “I’ve got a lot to do in the kitchen, though. You should relax.”

“I want to relax _with you_,” he countered, but sighed and left when she shooed him away.

The day passed in easy silence, with Hades coming in occasionally to talk to her, to touch her, until finally he brought in his laptop and sat down at the table.

“What are you doing?” She asked, but didn’t object to his presence.

“I’m spending time with my girlfriend,” he said absently, and tapped a few keys. “Since she insists on staying in the kitchen, that’s where I will be.”

She glanced at the timer on the stove. “Well, dinner is almost ready.”

He seemed strangely uncomfortable. “You know you didn’t have to do this. I could have just made whatever you’d like. Or we could have ordered it.”

“I know,” her back was to him, and she clutched her hands together to still their shaking. “But what do you do for someone who can buy or make themselves literally anything they desire?” Her laugh was sharp and reedy to her ears. “The only thing left is time and effort.”

Solus was silent for a few moments, and when she glanced over her shoulder at him, he was caught somewhere between a smile and a frown, his mouth pressed into a thin line, but curling up at the corners. He finally gave an exasperated sigh. “You know I love you, yes?”

“And I love you,” she replied, and the timer went off. She drained the pasta into a colander. “That’s why I’m doing this. I wouldn’t bother for anyone but you.”

While the noodles cooled, she carefully funnelled the excess sauce into jars, and filled her pressure cooker with a little water. By the time their dinner was plated and ready, the lid was back off the pressure cooker and she set the jars on the counter to cool carefully.

[FN] watched from beneath her lashes as they ate together, suddenly cognizant of every imperfection - had she used too much gastrique? Too little? She shouldn’t have been so careless when making the noodles, maybe they were uneven or -

Hades fingers slipped around her hand and lifted it to his lips. Then he smiled, warm and open and appreciative. “Thank you for dinner, [FN]. It’s delightful.” His warm regard seemed to melt something inside her, and she nudged his leg gently with hers under the table.

“Well, don’t eat too much. I made chocolate covered strawberries for dessert.” She laughed.

He sighed and shook his head. “Terrible. It’s going to be difficult to top this for White Day.”

She felt her cheeks pink and looked away. “What do you mean?”

“You and I both know for White Day, you’re supposed to return at least three times what you have been given. Worse, the gift you made me was time and effort.” [FN] couldn’t meet his gaze, but she could see the way one side of his mouth twisted up into an endearing smirk. “As you’ve mentioned, I can snap my fingers and make nearly anything a reality. But now I must do something that would take _me_ actual effort. I’ll need to think on it, and make something spectacular.”

“The day’s not over yet,” she sighed, and his grip on her hand tightened. “But don’t worry. The last bit is more for me than for you.”

“Now I’m curious,” he purred, and kissed the inside of her wrist.

* * *

“Tell me,” Hades whispered plaintively in her ear as he caught her in his arms just outside their bedroom. “Tell me what it is you’re wanting.” 

[FN] laughed but shook her head. “All I want is for you to do as I ask.” 

“Whips and chains and stiletto heels? I’ll admit I didn’t think you the type but…” he shrugged. “I can always be convinced.”

She slapped him lightly, a playful gesture. “I’m not quite brave enough for that, yet.” Her fingers wrapped around the doorknob and she leaned against the door as it opened, letting them both swing into the room. “But I will tie you up if you try to talk me out of this.”

He raised an eyebrow, and took a step back from her into the room and held up his hands in mock submission. “What would you have of me?”

Taking a steadying breath, [FN] shut the door behind them. “Take off your clothes, and lie back on the bed.” He had never let her do this before, always grumbling about the act not being ‘reciprocal’, but she wanted him to just… enjoy things, for once.

With a dubious glance toward her, Hades did as instructed, though he smiled wickedly when he caught her eyes lingering on him. “Well, at least I know you find me attractive.”

“You knew that from the start.” She countered as she undressed herself and pulled her hair over one shoulder. When she looked up, he was lying in the center of their bed, watching her curiously.

“I must confess, the feeling is quite mutual,” he whispered as she moved towards him, crawling between his legs. “So what are you -” He stopped and swallowed when she only climbed partway up. “What are you planning, [FN]?”

“I’m going to blow you,” she said, and kissed the top of his thigh.

“Y-you can’t,” he gasped, but at the words his cock was already hard and straining upwards. “It’s not fair to you.”

[FN] bent her head and licked his shaft from root to tip, playfully. “But it’s what I want.” She let her tongue dance around the head, and he laid his head back and groaned. “Besides,” she murmured, letting her breath tickle over her saliva on his skin, “I think you just don’t like the idea of being so vulnerable while I’m in control of my faculties. You view yourself as the only seducer,” she wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft and brushed her tongue between her fingers. “It’s a two way street, Hades.”

“Do as you like,” he hissed. “But I will make you pay for it next month.”

With a giggle, she took as much of him as she could into her mouth, moving her head with her back rather than her neck to ease the strain. She heard the slight puff of air as his head fell back against the pillow again and his hands twisted in the blanket beneath them. 

She let some of her saliva slip out of her mouth, knowing she was making a mess but not caring. Her hand moved into time with her mouth, squeezing him even after her lips passed, while her tongue flickered back and forth over his frenulum.

Hades’s hand touched her shoulder, then slid into her hair as his gasps became more ragged. “Zodiark, woman, you…” the words tumbled out of him then faded off as he surrendered control of the situation to her ministrations.

For a moment, she thought she caught the scent of lemon and eucalyptus, and her own voice murmured in her ear, the barest breath of a whisper. “Remember? He likes _this_.” Vague memories seemed to press against the surface of her mind, and [FN] let go of his shaft and grabbed one of his wrists in each hand, pinning his arms to the bed. He whimpered helplessly as she continued with just her mouth, and his hips began to thrust upward in desperation.

Catching the rhythm of his thrusting, [FN] moved her head in time with it, taking him as deep as she could with each stroke until he let out a shuddering cry and came in the back of her throat. She kept her lips sealed tightly around him and kept moving at the same speed until nothing more came from him, then swallowed and released him.

He remained prone on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with wide eyes while she slipped away to the bathroom, brushing her teeth and using mouthwash. When she glanced back up in the mirror, he was standing in the doorway, watching her with an unreadable expression.

“Is everything all right?” [FN] asked, frowning at his reflection.

Taking a few steps forward, Hades put his arms around her and kissed the side of her neck. “You cheated.” There was no anger in his voice. “You absolute terror,” he laughed and kissed her shoulder. “It is going to break my heart when you don’t choose me.”

“I’m going to choose you.” Her voice sounded resolute, and the feeling of surety seemed to settle in her skin. “I love you, Hades. You needn’t worry about that.”

He closed his eyes and tightened his grip on her. “We’ll see.”


	12. Ereshkigal, Part 1 [EX]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [FN] dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy some smut and backstory before we move on to White Day.

I am Ereshkigal, called Zalera.

I wake from restless sleep, and see that my husband has not come to bed.

Again.

Idiot.

The floor is cold beneath my feet as I make my way to his office. He has fallen asleep at his desk.

“Hades,” I say, and place a hand on his shoulder. He jerks, suddenly, and blinks up at me from between locks of his lovely hair. I twist a strand of it - practically liquid moonlight - around my finger and give him a smile. He does not need my scolding now.

“Forgive me,” he whispers, and presses the back of my hand to his lips. “It seems I worked too late again.” He tries to hide it, but I see his gaze flit to the informational display filled with the movements of the Fourteenth and his cult. My husband, Hades, called Emet-Selch, has been obsessed with ensuring Zodiark’s supremacy since his parents’ death.

“It’s all right,” I say. I do not lie to him. I love him more than every star in the heavens. If I must sleep alone so that he can achieve what he longs for, so be it.

“Let me walk you to the Akadaemia,” he says, suddenly, with a bashful smile. “Like when we were young.” We had both studied there, long ago. Then he was transferred to the Bureau of the Architect, and I became an instructor. Now he was Emet-Selch, the Architect, of the Convocation.

“How young?” I whisper, and bring his hand to my naked breasts. His cheeks flush with color, remembering those early days of our marriage - we were eternally late in the years after our wedding, every morning bent to finding physical pleasure together.

Hades remembers as well, and a smile breaks out on his weary face. “Mistress Zalera,” he chides, “could you be suggesting we indulge in _irresponsibility_?”

I bat my eyelashes playfully and feign shock. “Whatever could you mean? Is it not good and morally responsible for me to do _everything_,” at this I lean closer to him, and his other arm encircles my waist, “to ensure that the member of the Convocation in my care is prepared for the responsibilities of his role?”

His laughter is warm and he kisses my sternum between my breasts before he stands. “How, exactly, is dallying with you going to make me better at my job?”

I take his hand as I lead him back to bed. “It will ease your tension, and you will sleep more soundly,” my coquettish smile brings some color back to his face. “You will be more secure knowing I am not cross with you, and the endorphins will make your burdens seem less.”

“Far be it from me to argue,” he replies, shedding yesterday’s robe at the door. Then he tumbles me into bed, and our lovemaking is full of laughter and familiarity. How many centuries have we loved like this?

I am late to the Akadaemia, just like when we were young.

* * *

Whispers echo off the walls of my classroom as I begin the lesson on the soul. My husband may be a master of the Underworld, but I am most versed in its denizens. Two of my students in the back huddle together - so close their masks bump against each other. It is improper, but I will say nothing. I remember Hades’s arm wrapped about my slim shoulders. I remember his voice in my ear, making all the foolish promises of youth. Little did I know then he would keep every one. 

My lecture today is on encoding things into a soul. Many Amaurotines like to leave gifts to their future selves - cherished memories or special talents for them to enjoy after being reincarnated. I am an expert in this field, and often help others encoding complicated gifts. It was my wedding gift to Hades as well. A beacon carved into my soul, and the ability to see it into his. No matter who we become in the far flung future, he can find me again.

A figure appears at the doorway - it is Hythlodaeus, my husband’s good friend. Despite the rules of propriety, he enters without invitation and steps closer than is permitted for a man who is not my husband. I open my mouth to chastise him, but he whispers, so low the students cannot hear.

“Cúchulainn is dead.”

I gasp. “Does Emet-Selch -” 

“He knows. He is attempting to pull him back now, but he sent me to collect you.” 

I follow Hythlodaeus, motioning for my assistant to take over.

* * *

By the time we arrive at the Capitol building, Amaurot is in a state of panic. The Fourteenth’s cult has been targeting the spouses of the Convocation. Hythlodaeus has barely pushed me in the doors when Hades breaks from the crowd and rushes to my side. His arms are around me, and his lips are on mine. Propriety is in seventy shattered pieces on the floor, but I don’t mind. This is what it is to be the wife of a member of the Convocation.

“Thank you, Hythlodaeus,” he says when we part, but I can see his eyes are still on me through his mask.

“It’s nothing,” The Director of the Bureau of the Architect waves one hand dismissively. “I need to get back to work, so take good care of her.” 

Hades gives no reply, but drags me to the elevators, and presses the buttons that will take us to his office. Halfway up the building, he slams the stop button, and presses his lips to mine again. His hands are bunched in my robes, and he pulls me to the ground, pushing the skirts up with ease.

It is improper to have carnal congress in public spaces, but he enters me anyway, groaning desperately, and I permit it. He is a member of the Convocation. His work is important, and I serve Amaurot by serving him this way. We have been married too long for my body to do aught but respond to him besides.

“Resh,” he gasps. It is his pet name for me, a shortening of my true name that only a few people know. “Resh, I’m close.”

“I’m here,” I whisper, and tighten my arms around him. Hades presses his face into my collarbone and groans with pleasure as he empties himself inside me. It only took a few minutes, but it is his way when he is afraid. He needs the visceral physical reminder, that I am safe and he is loved. Only then can he focus on his work.

* * *

“I want to take you to the Earth,” Hades says, once we are in his office. Upon learning of the attack on Cúchulainn, the decision had been made that the Convocation would immediately put their spouses into hiding in whatever manner they could. “No one can find you there. You will be safe.”

“What about you?” I ask. “I am supposed to serve _you_ as well.” I speak of our marriage vows, and he gives me another smile. My mother had said that love faded after marriage, but that was a lie. It had been over a thousand years since we had wed, and neither of us had regrets.

“You can best serve me by being safe. Somewhere I _know_ you will be safe. Somewhere I can run away to see you whenever necessary.” Hades grips my shoulders. “You are the most precious thing to me on this star. I will let the rest of it burn before I lose you.”

* * *

[FN] sat up in bed, sweat beading on her brow as she glanced over at Hades. He was asleep, his hair stuck up at odd angles.

She reached out, and took a single strand of the white hair near his face, and twisted it around her finger, as she had in her dream, and it really did look like liquid moonlight.

“Resh…” he murmured in his sleep, and something turned over in her heart. For a moment, she thought it was jealousy, but then she remembered her dream, remembered his desperate need to protect her - remembered his own actions in the here and now, how quickly he had moved to ensure she was away from her parents and cared for.

[FN] cast a guilty glance toward her phone. She would have to call them soon, but not right now. She twisted the lock of hair around her finger again, and looked at the charms on her bracelet: the teardrop, for their bargain; the jellyfish for New Year’s; and now, a small silver clock that actually worked, so impossibly tiny. Hades had even admitted he’d had to fashion it with magic, and used magic to keep it powered. Still, it pleased her. Something that should not be, but he had made it so for her.

Leaning down to kiss him softly, she felt his tongue flicker past his lips, a sign that he had woken. She opened her mouth, and he pressed the kiss deeper, rolling her onto her back and positioning himself between her legs. [FN] did not fight him, just wrapped her arms around his shoulders and lifted her hips to accommodate what he yearned for. 

Hades was in her in moments, his arms braced on either side of her while she clung to him, refusing to surrender his claim on her mouth, even as their mingled breath ran ragged past their lips, and his teeth tapped against hers. She knew this was something different, not like their usual fun - it was sharp, and it was raw, and it was purely for him.

His lips pressed down upon her again, and he used his hands to show her what he wanted. He grabbed her thighs and pushed them up and apart, until she found he was bottoming out inside her, brushing her cervix with the tip of his cock and sending strange electric tremors through her that were neither good nor bad, just _jolting_ in their intensity. Without losing his rhythm, he took her wrists in his hands, and pinned them above her head, leaving her unable to do much but submit to him.

As his thrusts became harder, and the tremors slipped from strange to painful, Hades groaned and finished, his hips slamming against her thighs a few more times before he was spent. Then he rolled off of her and tugged her into his arms, burying his face in her hair.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I-”

“It’s all right,” she murmured, interrupting his apology. “I’m safe, I’m here, and I love you.”

He grumbled and nuzzled the side of her neck, letting the tip of his nose brush back and forth over her skin. “Still, I shouldn’t have -”

“Hush,” she whispered. “You always do that when you’re afraid.” [FN] only realized what she had said when she felt him still.

His hands gripped her tightly. “Something’s going on. Tell me.”

“I can’t yet,” she replied. “I’m not sure. There are still too many questions-”

“Then let me answer them,” Hades begged, turning her to face him. He held her so tightly she thought her back might break. “Please. Anything. [FN]...”

“I want to ask you a question, and I want you to give me an honest answer. You can’t ask me anything about it, or why I am asking, or how I know to ask,” she said. He snapped his fingers and the lamps came on, but he did not tear his face from hers. “Do not press me further than that.”

“All right…” He may have agreed, but his voice was dubious, even to her ears.

[FN] exhaled slowly, and watched his face for a reaction. “What happened to Cúchulainn?”

She almost giggled at the visceral strain the forbidden questions pressed upon him, but he was a man of his word, after all, and so he merely leaned his head down and bit her shoulder, letting a muffled scream out against her skin. 

Hades lifted his head once he had a bit more control, and said, “Cúchulainn was the first person to be sundered. We didn’t know it at the time, but they were testing the _concept_ for Hydaelyn’s ability to enervate her foes.”

“Yes, but what happened to him?”

Hades shrugged. “His soul was sundered. When Amaurot was destroyed, those pieces were sent to the Reflections, and entered the cycle of reincarnation like all the others. Last I heard he had been reborn as a woman named Myrune.” He chuckled, a small, indulgent smile on his face. “Nabriales used to go and stare at her.”

[FN] giggled. “Thank you for answering.”

“Will you tell me one day? I know you said I couldn’t ask the questions now, but one day, will you permit me?” He was trembling slightly.

“One day,” she promised. “But not for a long time, I think. I need to know the answers myself.”

“Then I will wait as long as it takes,” he swore. “As long as you ask of me.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to know when this fic updates, follow me on twitter: @amandaterasu


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